Face Your Demons
by Uber Spoonz
Summary: Direct sequel to For the Sake of the World. I strongly suggest you read DragonCharmer16's Trust Me first. This is Link's quest to get Hieke back, but he ends up having to save Hyrule... again. W00T! This story is FINISHED!
1. Changes

WELCOME TO THE SEQUEL! Got lots of reviews for the the original, so let's answer those before we get started!

Dragon-Charmer16: Yup, sequel with Kaze. (nod, nod) By the way, I thought of a great title last minute! Don't see why I didn't think of it sooner! Glad you liked the story, 'cause I like yours! NOW UPDATE, DARNIT! Sorry you couldn't review…

Kittyinkimono: Well, here's the sequel. OO; What an interesting mind you have there…

EvilRobotZombieLoofaOverlord: Yup, it's like a trading sequence! Glad you like the story! And chocolate all over your arms…? I don't thing… I want to know…

CheeseFromJupiter: You liked the ending? I thought it was a little emotionally disappointing…

Jana+Anthony: ; What kind of author would I be if I let the bad guy win?

Lil-dragon-blue: Wolves, yup. I forgot all about the light bulb; I even went back to see what you were talking about. ; I've been busy too, with the sequel and whatnot… Is it angst? I didn't know that was angst… Hopefully the sequel will make it all better for you.

Jana+Anthony: All your questions will be answered in time… Have patience, young friend!

There were actually a lot more reviews… I had about 15 e-mails accumulated. (nod, nod) Well, I'm sure you don't give a crap about the responses! How many of you skipped over that? Be honest!

Summary: After losing Hieke, Link set out to find Navi in hopes the she'd know how to bring back his friend. This quest was interrupted when Link was sent hurtling into the land of Termina, where he defeated the Mask of Majora. When he returned to Hyrule, he found that Malon and her father were missing, and thus journeyed once again to rescue her. He met a valuable friend and ally during that quest, but they parted ways when the expedition was over. Back on track and looking to reunite with Navi and Hieke, Link is about to be thrown into yet another adventure… And, as usual, should he fail, the whole of Hyrule will pay.

This is the _direct_ sequel to "For the Sake of the World". Think of "Trust Me" by Dragon-Charmer16 as an obligatory sidequest. You'll get an item out of it that you'll need to complete a dungeon later on… Wait, wait. You'll learn some stuff that'll make this story make more sense later, like characters and references to events. So I strongly recommend you read that first!

**Chapter 1: Changes**

Link sighed and looked up into the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloudless, the forest was in good health… The only thing wrong was that his friend was not there to share it with him…

_Hieke smiled down at the young hero and waved goodbye. She was enveloped in a white light, a combination of all the powers of the Spirits. Her form stretched and shifted, enclosing Ganondorf within. He didn't as much as struggle. The light closed around him, sealing both him and all his evil inside. When the light cleared away, all that was left was a massive tree with flowers around its roots. The blooms were in many colors: loving green, determined red, clever blue, confident purple, compassionate yellow, invincible silver…_

_Link stared at the ground in remorse as a small glow appeared on the ground. When the light cleared away there was a new flower in its place. A brave amber flower… and next to it, the Moon Pendant._

_With no more to be done in this country, Link hid the pendant in his pocket and set out on Epona. After all, Hieke wouldn't want him to linger…_

To think that it had happened so long ago, and he still had no idea how to get Hieke back without releasing Ganondorf as well. Navi was the answer. She would know; somehow, she _always_ knew. But where he would find Navi… well, honestly he had no clue.

Months upon months of endless travel had left Link somewhat rugged. His bangs almost totally covered his face and his eyes were darkened with loss. His clothes were loose-fitting and torn in random places. And as for his left arm…

A battle long ago had left that arm all but useless. It was now bandaged tightly and hung in a makeshift sling. Should he encounter a tough battle, there was no way he would emerge victorious, let alone alive. He leaned against a nearby tree and closed his eyes. Hieke was a powerful Spirit… if he could find her, she could probably heal him. And Navi was the key to all this.

"What are you doing here?" a young, somewhat gruff voice demanded. Link sprang to attention and looked around, then spotted the brown-haired boy standing beside the tree. His face was dirtied and scratched, and his clothes were in a condition similar to Link's. Only his chocolate bangs showed from beneath the red bandanna tied over his head.

"Oh! You're… you're Link, aren't you?" the boy guessed. Link smiled with a soft chuckle. "How has the Bomber Squad been, Jim?" he asked with a ghost of a grin. Jim shook his head and stretched. "Jim is so juvenile," he sighed. "Call me James."

Link nodded. "What brings you to these parts?" he asked with great curiosity. Last he saw of Jim, he was the leader of the Bomber Squad and was loving every bit of it. James paced around the area absently. "Only kids are allowed to be Bombers," he explained with a sorrow-tinted voice. "Look at me, Link. I'm no kid anymore. There's a good, young boy with the role of leader now. Besides, I needed to get out of Clocktown. You didn't notice me following right behind you when you left Termina, did you?"

"That was nearly a year ago," Link reminded. James nodded his head with a smile. "When I left Termina, I did a bit of traveling. I've gotten pretty strong," he boasted. The boy gestured to Link's arm. "What happened?" he asked with concern as he reached for a small bag of medical supplies.

Link shook his head, refusing the attention. "It's been this way for almost three months. There's nothing that can be done for it now," he said with melancholy lingering on his words. _That's a lie_, his conscience scolded. _If you can get Hieke back, everything will be fine!_

"James, do you want to help me with something?" Link asked, giving the boy a trace of a smile. He nodded vigorously. "But what can _I_ do to help you?" he inquired with great eagerness. Link's grin grew wider and more sincere.

"I'm looking for someone. Maybe you can help me find her."

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This is going to get very good! I update every morning/afternoon. Might I mention that I function on Eastern Standard Time, so… Let's just say that I update once a day. Now excuse me while I go write the manga interpretation of "For the Sake of the World". (walks away)

(comes back) Oh yeah! Don't forget to review! (goes away)


	2. Interruption

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT! I only got three reviews! I thought you guys all wanted to read the sequel! I knew I should have enforced my "five review and I update" policy for the sequel… but I thought that everyone who reviewed the original would be eagerly awaiting this story! Starting this chapter, it's back to five reviews or no update!

Mxedcherub: Eh, the first chapter was a little slow for me. Unfortunately, so is this one. Yeah, your supposed to read "Trust Me"; otherwise you won't understand the next chapter all too well.

JMG: You'll find out what happened to Link around Chapter 5 or 6. You want to see James, huh? Oi, I've gotta get that website updated sometime soon…

Zeldafreak123: Glad you like it!

Okay, that was shorter than I would have liked. Just so you know, I'm not too pleased with all of you right now. Here's the next chapter anyway.

**Chapter 2: Interruption**

"Navi!" James yelled, his hands cupped around his mouth to amplify the sound. Link shook his head. "You'll never find her like that," he said with a sigh. "If it was that simple, I would have found her a long time ago…"

James looked at Link with unhappy eyes, then broke into a mad fit of song and dance. "Fairy, fairy!" he sang. "Oh so hairy! Very merry! Fairy, fairy!" Link's eyes grew wide with frightened astonishment and he backed away very slowly as to not attract the attention of his… _dancing_ friend.

"Come on, Link!" James laughed, grabbing his non-dancing friend's useable hand. "Dance like a Sim! Come on! Dance like a Sim!"

Link wrenched his hand free and stared in horror until James finally stopped. "Whew," the ex-Bomber panted, leaning on his knees for support. "Man, that was good! You should try that sometime! It makes your whole body happy!" he giggled.

Link cleared his throat and began walking off into the nearby field. "Hyrule Field," he breathed as he looked in the direction of the former castle grounds. He knew all too well what was there now… His shoulders stiffened at the very thought of visiting that place again, but he knew it had to be done. It would be disrespectful not to go see her upon his return.

"Come on," he whispered. "There's someone I need to see." He stalked off towards the sanctuary of the Guardian Tree with James following closely by. On the way they passed Malon, who seemed to be in a rush.

"Oh, Link!" she exclaimed when she saw Link and James. "You're back! Where did you go?"

Link shook his head. "It's not important now. Where are you going?" he asked. Malon looked surprised to receive such a query. "To the sanctuary, of course. Today is the Festival of Guardians!" she answered with an ecstatic grin. Link, having left before anything official was passed in regards to his journey with Hieke, stared at his friend in confusion.

"Who's this, Link?" James asked quietly, not wanting to be noticed. "My name is Malon," the redhead smiled. James nodded and gave his name in reply. They went into a conversation about where the ex-Bomber was from and how he knew Link. The Hero of Time, however, was lost in his own thoughts.

_They created a holiday in her honor_, he mused. Link chuckled to himself. _I wouldn't have it any other way… She deserves no less…_ He brushed a stray tear away at the memory of his dear friend. She had given herself to protect the world without a second thought. For that… she deserved so much more than just a celebration…

Malon turned from her conversation with James and looked at Link with a smile, but her grin quickly dissipated at the sight of her friend. His shoulders were drawn tightly, his eyes dark and downcast. His good hand was clenched into a fist and quivered slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, settling a concerned hand on his shoulder. Link sighed and shook away the comfort.

The small group reached the top of the highest hill in the field and looked at the crowds gathering at the castle walls. Many had colorful costumes on and carried flags bearing images of the Guardian Spirits. The emerald branches of the Guardian Tree towered over the stone walls of the sanctuary. There were lanterns hanging from those branches.

The sun was beginning to set. Link looked at the pale stars glowing in the young twilight with remorse. Malon took his hand and ran towards the crowds. James followed zealously behind them. In the midst of the masses of people of all races, Link felt all the more saddened. Many of the young girls were wearing golden wings while the boys darted about with bird, dragon, and wolf masks.

James somehow managed to procure a mask of a black wolf that Link recognized to be Jaroku. The hero almost snatched away the costume, feeling that James had no right to take part in such events since he didn't even know why all of Hyrule was celebrating, but he stopped himself.

Within the stone walls, Link could see Zelda standing in front of the Guardian Tree. He growled in contempt when he saw that the young princess was standing on the place where the spiritual flowers grew.

"Presenting… Queen Zelda!" one of the Royal messengers announced. There was a moment of applause. "_Queen_?" Link murmured to Malon. The ranch girl nodded. "The King died in your absence, so they crowned Zelda," she explained. Link stared at the new queen in disbelief. She was still awfully young… And she was wearing an extravagant silver gown with a golden cloak cascading about her shoulders. That was what Hieke was wearing when she…

"Hylians! Zoras! Gorons! Gerudos! Even the Kokiri! We are all here today to honor a great hero and a greater heroine! Together they traveled across Hyrule to protect all of you. When the plague washed across Hyrule, the brave heroine sacrificed herself to seal away the darkness that spawned the illness!" Zelda continued her speech until Malon grabbed Link's right hand and thrust it up into the air.

"Link is here!" she announced, despite Link's attempts to hush her. James grinned from behind his mask. Zelda smiled broadly at the Hero of Time. "Link! You've returned! Come here!" she beckoned. Link gave Malon a quick glare and made his way through the crowd to stand in front of the queen.

"This is the hero!" Zelda said simply with a small flourish. The crowd cheered wildly. Link kept to himself, waiting to see how things would proceed. The applause died as a man with a tattered coat came stalking up to the head of the crowd. "You're all fools!" he denounced bitterly. "Decorating a hero who's a tree! How's _this_ for decoration!" The man then performed a most contemptible deed: he _spat_ on the roots of the Tree.

In mere seconds Link had his sword to the criminal's throat, blade pressed against his flesh. "Link, stop!" Malon cried as she attempted to pull the sword out of his hands. The frightened man screamed in terror, for Link was only pushing forward with his steel.

"Hey! Is that any way a Bomber—even an ex-Bomber—should behave?" James asked calmly. Link's grip on the hilt loosened somewhat, just enough for Malon to free the man from his iron grasp. Link let out a shuddering sigh and dropped his sword, closing his eyes and clutching at his injured arm.

Zelda cleared her throat quietly. "May I remind you all that the Festival of Guardians is meant to be a _peaceful_ time for us to _revere_ the heroes and heroines that protected us," she said. The people all glanced at each other timidly, trying to search out another person who may attempt such a despicable act as the other man.

Link stood from his crouched position and moved back into the ranks of the crowd, giving the Guardian Tree an apologetic glance. Zelda smiled, thinking that the apology was meant for her. "Two years ago, there was a girl by the name of Hieke Tadaka. She was a Hylian girl raised among the Gerudos," she began, obviously moving into a speech. Link stared with a slightly appalled expression on his face. She was not two sentences into the tale and already had two details wrong!

"One day she followed her friends as they went on a plunder. She was trying to stop them when they ran into some Hylian guards. She was brave and stood up for her lying, thieving friends even though she was at no fault. The guards dismissed them all thanks to her diplomacy. Later she renounced the Gerudos and set off on an adventure with Link to protect the very people she despised…"

"No!" Link objected. "You couldn't have it more wrong! Her name was Hieke, not Hieke Tadaka. Tadaka was the name the Gerudos gave her! She went out with her friends that day with the intent to _help_ them, not apprehend them! She only left the Gerudos when _you_ yourself talked to her and showed her the strife upon the land that was a result of her people's pillaging. The guards only let _her_ go, not her friends! She returned to Gerudo Valley and forgave them all! And she never despised the Gerudos, not in the least! And the journey was to protect _everyone_, not just her family!"

The townspeople murmured amongst themselves at this news. They were being fed lies, but who was the liar? Who could they trust more: their queen or their hero? James pushed through the masses and stood in front of Zelda. "Guys! I don't know a whole lot about the situation, but I know that Link is no liar!" he announced. The villagers people all looked at each other in confusion, still not knowing who to turn to.

Zelda sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, everyone," she apologized. "What I just told you… I know it to be false."

This ignited a rather miffed uproar. "Stop! Please stop!" Zelda begged, trying to calm the crowd. "I know what you just heard may be disturbing, but I'm willing to explain! Link," she paused, turning to the young hero, "I need you to be ready."

Baffled, Link nodded. Zelda took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "The speech was written by my new advisor. His name is Wythe and I am positive that he means nothing but ill. He's trying to turn Hieke into a villain instead of a heroine. He must be—"

Before she could finish, the queen collapsed to the ground with a soft moan. The crowd gasped. Link, taking this as his cue, took the golden-bladed sword he received in Termina in his hand and glanced around for a sign of the enemy. James had a slingshot ready to fire and moved to stand beside Link. Malon crouched beside Zelda to try to rouse her.

There came a malicious laughter echoing from the sky. A cloaked figure appeared in a shroud of black mist. The star and moonlight faded away as blankets of gloom fell upon the sky. James lowered his aim in awe, staring at the black figure that was perched on a branch of the Guardian Tree. The crowd dissipated in a rush of fear.

Link was furious with this. "Get off of her!" he demanded, swiping at the air with his sword. The robed figure chortled in amusement. "You turn your sword on _me_?" it asked in a deep, masculine voice. He lifted his hands above his head and sent out pulses of dark energy. Wherever the waves touched on the Tree, it would wither.

James, regaining his courage, fired a few exploding pellets from his slingshot. They seemed no more a bother to the dark man than a mosquito. "You challenge me as well, child?" he said in a booming voice that made James slink back behind Malon.

"Who are you?" Link inquired authoritatively. A tall, frail man appeared from behind the Tree. He had a book in his hands. "Excellent, Wythe. I see you've acquired the tome I seek," the robed man hissed, disregarding Link's query. The newcomer, apparently the Wythe character Zelda spoke of, nodded and tossed his parcel up into the branches.

The two evildoers vanished in a wisp of black fog, leaving Link, James, and the rest of the crowd staring uneasily. "She's coming around!" Malon, who had been attending to the unconscious Zelda, announced. Link crouched beside the queen and looked on worriedly.

"Wythe," she muttered as she opened her eyes. "He's evil… I know it in my heart to be true. We must apprehend him…" Link glanced at James and they both sighed. She had missed the whole event. So James took it upon himself to fill her in.

"It was like this!" he began, leaping backwards and curling into a fetal position. Then he sprang up into standing position with a cry. "BOOM! He appeared! And it was all like WHOOSH and BANG!" As he spoke he moved his arms wildly to imitate the flowing of the black mist. Then he collapsed to the ground. "And when it touched the Tree, it did this!" he described. "Then that guy, Wythe, he came in and had this book thing! And—"

"James. Enough," Link commanded sternly. "Ignore him, he's just hyperactive."

Zelda giggled, but Link was far from amused. James reminded him of Hieke, and sitting beside her only amplified the feeling. He turned to the Tree with regret. _I should have helped_, he thought. _If I had fought harder, she would have lived_…

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Here's an idea! On all the chapters that don't end in cliffhangers (what few of them there are), I'll give you a preview for the next installment!

Next time on "Face Your Demons":

The main plot is revealed! Kaze from "Trust Me" guest stars! And I'm not gonna say any more than that! Now go review! I'm back to the five reviews policy, but updates are still around 11 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time). At least until school starts… Oh boy.


	3. Kaze?

**Chapter 3: Kaze?**

"That's what happened," Link finished. Zelda nodded in understanding. "I knew Wythe was evil, and I made no move to stop him!" she scolded herself. Malon shook her head. "There's no way you could have done anything to hinder him. The darkness that radiated from him was so astoundingly powerful… Even _I_ could feel it!" she exclaimed.

"Malon? You can sense dark energies?" Link said in surprise. The redhead nodded slowly. "Can't you too?" she asked nervously. The young hero shook his head. James looked on without the slightest clue as to what was going on.

Link's thoughts were interrupted by Zelda asking him a question. "What? Sorry, could you repeat yourself?" Link asked. The queen nodded and began again. "Could you describe the book that Wythe handed to the cloaked man?" she requested.

"It had leather covers on it and wool bindings… There was a strange emblem on the front embossed in ivory," he illustrated. Zelda's eyes grew wide with fear. "Not that book," she pleaded, though she knew it to be true. Link, Malon, and James looked at the young queen in concern.

"What was in it?" Link asked solemnly. His voice was fearsome and grim. "The book itself is worthless," Zelda explained, "but if you are clever, you can decode the text and it will reveal the location of a powerful object.

"Long ago, the Royal Family was in possession of something called the Staff of Dreams. It is a glorious object, crafted from the finest of ivories and silvers, with a gorgeous diamond situated at the top. However, if someone with a corrupt heart should obtain this item, the ivory and silver would shift to ebony and gold, and the diamond will turn to onyx. It would become the Staff of Nightmares.

"It was growing dangerous to keep such an object of power within the castle walls. You see, many a thief attempted to infiltrate the castle grounds and would go to any means to get their hands on the Staff. So we hid it. The knowledge of the whereabouts of the Staff was erased from the teachings of the younger generations. The secret was lost tens of decades ago from any human mind.

"Despite the dangers of such an act, the location of the Staff of Dreams was written into a book, the tome Wythe took. Disguised as an archive of the Royal Family's lineage, a clever scribe encoded the location within words hidden within other words! It would take a genius to decipher the text! We thought we were safe from _any_ thief…"

"Did someone say 'genius' and 'thief'?" a young, male voice interrupted.

Zelda jumped, startled. Malon stared in the direction of the voice. James readied his slingshot. Link… just gave a sideways grin. "Long time no see, Kaze," he sighed. A boy about Link's age with dark hair and amethyst eyes emerged from behind the Guardian Tree. His clothes were in dreary colors such as gray, purple, and plain black. "Aw!" he whined. "Way to spoil a magnificent entrance!"

Link chuckled and ran forward to meet his friend, a friend with whom he had rescued Malon and saved all of Hyrule the third time around. The redheaded girl recognized him, but just slightly. "You're that boy… who helped Link save me, right?" she guessed. Kaze tripped on himself. "Well, yeah!" he shouted somewhat angrily.

"Temper, temper!" Link laughed. Kaze put his hands on his hips and huffed in indignation.

"So, dude… Where is she?" the young thief asked eagerly. Link averted his gaze. "Right there," he murmured, nodding his head at the Guardian Tree. Kaze followed his eyes and stared at the Tree in skepticism.

"Oh, I get it!" he said after a long pause, then his expression became grim. "She's buried at the base of this tree, isn't she?" Link shook his head, laughing meekly. "No, Hieke _is_ the Guardian Tree," he explained. Kaze's face became blank.

Zelda stood with Malon's aid and brushed off her soiled gown. "It's true," she assented. "That's what we were celebrating today… until that evil man came along."

"Whoa! All that can wait; Link, what's up with your arm?" Kaze said, waving the princess off and inspecting Link's injured arm with an expression of horror. Link rolled his eyes. He hated being the center of attention; being a stealthy warrior, he always tried to draw attention _away_ from himself. "My arm's fine. It's just something I did a while after we parted," he said hastily. Kaze regarded him suspiciously, but decided to let it go.

"What should we do, Link?" James suddenly said after being uncharacteristically quiet for so long. "We can't let that bad guy get the Staff thing! And that Wythe guy already gave him the book with the code! What now?"

Kaze looked at the brunette child curiously and cocked an eyebrow. "Seems you guys started the party without me," he said with his distinguishing smirk. Link, Malon, Zelda, and James all exchanged glances. "It's a long story, but you'll be an indispensable ally, so we'll fill you in," Link said, smiling. Kaze struck a pose. "Oh yeah! I'm _that_ important!" he bragged. "But let's talk about it over some grub; I'm starved!"

The others voiced their agreement and they headed for the castle where Malon said she would prepare a luxurious meal for them.


	4. Chinese Food

I know I didn't get my five reviews and it isn't tomorrow yet, but seeing how I totally forgot to respond to the reviews last chapter (I was being pestered by my friends to hurry up and update), I decided to go ahead and give ya chapter four as apology. First, those forgotten reviews!

Dragon-Charmer16: (She can't review, so she sends me re-mails, e-mails with the review inside) Still can't review, eh? I'm starting to get curious… Kaze, eventually there'll be a third with you in it. I'm planning on writing a quick humor/romance after this is done. It's completely necessary; you'll see why later. Link, YOUR ARM IS MESSED UP, LIVE WITH IT! No, seriously. Somewhere between five and seven it'll be revealed. Thanks for the re-mail!

Mxedcherub: You'll find out later. The guy in the tree is actually quite and interesting character… I know it seems confusing, but it'll gain clarity through time.

CheeseFromJupiter: The best source of reading I've ever seen is that free online Zelda manga… Takes a while to load if you have dial-up (like me) but it's all translated into English by a somewhat fluent Japanese-speaker. Or… you can keep reading this! Yeah, do that! And… can I have some sugar? SUGAR!

JMG: She said it because Wythe was threatening her. And her being the only member left of the Royal Family, she couldn't run the risk of being killed by her evil assistant.

Itsmeagain: Yah, you just reviewed a second time so I could have my five reviews to update. Good thing you did. Otherwise Chapter 3 _still_ wouldn't be up because you guys are stiffs! Where are the oodles of reviews I've come to know and love?

JMG: Why does everyone want to know that? You'll know when you know!

Okay! If you want Chapter 5, better spread the word about this fiction, because I REFUSE to update unless you give me my five reviews per chapter! And you never know when I'm gonna bump it up to say… eight! Or even ten! But enough of that, let's get started! This is the totally pointless chapter about Chinese food! It's only use is to make it a little more humorous! After this, there's basically no humor in the rest of the fic… The humor within me has taken a vacation to the fiery pits of Hell. Bear with me.

**Chapter 4: Chinese Food**

"Malon?"

"What is it, Link? Can't you see I'm waiting for this butter to melt?"

Indeed, Malon was watching the frying pan intently as though waiting for something to flutter out. There was a lump of butter in the middle, just sitting there. It wasn't melting, but Malon didn't seem to notice. Link inspected the stove carefully, then chuckled to himself.

"Mal—"

"Shh! It's about to start!"

"Malon! Listen! The oven isn't on!"

Link reached over and turned the dial. Instantly the pan began to heat up and the butter started melting. Malon, mortified, tried to come up with an excuse that would make it seem like she was still sane. "It's much more efficient to let the butter melt by reaching room temperature!" she blurted. Link laughed and left the room, leaving Malon standing in front of her melted butter and looking very embarrassed.

A few hours passed, then a few more. Eventually it was sunrise and Link awoke wondering whatever happened to Malon's 'luxurious meal'. He ventured into the kitchen and found her asleep in a wooden dining chair. The butter had long since charred to an inedible blackened pulp. That had, at some point, caught on fire, leaving the ashes of a lump of a charred hunk of butter. Then it looked as though the ashes had caught fire as well, so all that was left were the ashes of the ashes of a lump of a charred hunk of butter. Link growled in frustration and poked Malon to wake her.

"Ingo is better than Link could ever be!" she blurted blindly, then clamped her hand over her mouth. Link stared at the redhead in utter shock. "I'm going to pretend you said something else. I don't know what, just something," he stated slowly. Malon nodded and cleared her throat.

"Well, I _was_ cooking dinner, but that kinda… burned. So, who's up for take-out?" she asked. Link raised an eyebrow at this. "Chinese for breakfast?" he repeated. Malon nodded vigorously. "Works for me," Link said with a shrug.

Malon picked up a phone, despite the fact that there were no phones in Hyrule, and called a Chinese restaurant. "Yes, I'll have… five eggrolls, a large pork-fried rice, two orders of fried shrimp, two pints of eggdrop soup, an order of teriyaki chicken, and five fortune cookies," she requested.

"Okah, ten mineh," the person on the other end of the line replied. Malon, confused as to the meaning of the response, hung up the nonexistent phone. "I think he said 'ten minutes'," she announced to the rest of the group. Exactly ten minutes later, a delivery person arrived and exchanged their food for rupees.

"They sure are punctual!" Zelda giggled. Everyone stared at the queen, their eyes just screaming, "Duh!" Malon began to distribute the food. Kaze shoved a spoonful of pork-fried rice into his mouth happily. He then took a bite of fried shrimp. Then he stopped.

"What's wrong, Kaze?" Link asked, now a little hesitant to eat his own shrimp. "The shrimp… tastes _exactly_ like the rice," the young thief explained. Malon finished off a bite of her teriyaki chicken.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "The chicken tastes like the rice, too!"

"My eggdrop soup tastes like Malon's chicken," James commented, peering suspiciously into his bowl of soup. It turned out that everyone's food tasted exactly like everyone else's. To confirm this, they blindfolded themselves and exchanged meals.

"Eggroll?" Link guessed as he took a bite of pork-fried rice.

"Teriyaki chicken?" Zelda guessed with a bite of shrimp in her mouth.

"Eggdrop soup?" James said as he ate some of Malon's chicken. He was apparently too stupid to notice the difference between solid chicken and liquid soup.

"I know what's going on!" Kaze shouted, tearing off his blindfold. "They cook one really greasy something-or-other, then they deep-fry everything else in it!" The others murmured amongst themselves in comprehension. It made good sense. So no one really cared what they were eating after that. Until James spilled eggdrop soup all over his clothes.

"Ha ha!" Kaze laughed. "It looks like puke!" After that, no one had any more appetite, so they moved on to the fortune cookies.

Malon was first. She broke the cookie open and read the small slip of paper inside. "It says, 'It's always worth taking the trouble to praise people'." Then she turned to a glass screen from which she could see dozens of people reading over words invisible to her. "I think this was meant for someone else," she said, meeting the gaze of each of those people.

Zelda went next. "'Let the world be filled with tranquillity and goodwill'," she read. "What? That's not even a fortune! And how dare they say something like that in this time of crisis!"

Kaze broke open his golden-brown cookie and a wide grin spread across his face. "It says, 'You will regroup with a friend from long ago!' And she will give you a kiss!" he cheered. Link snatched the paper out of Kaze's hand and read it for himself. "Hey, you made up that last part!" he accused as he reached for his own cookie.

James' eyes were already reading over his own fortune. "Good news, guys!" he said cheerfully. "'The troubles you have now will pass away quickly'! I guess that means it'll be a cinch getting rid of Wythe and his master!" Zelda shook her head. "It say that they'll pass away quickly, not easily," she pointed out, leaving James very disappointed. "Pessimist," he muttered.

Link looked at his fortune and burst out laughing. He fell backwards, holding his aching stomach. Malon reached for the small paper which he had dropped on the floor in his laughter. She immediately began laughing as well. She passed the fortune to Zelda, who also had trouble containing herself. Next the paper was passed to James, who erupted in hysterical laughter. Somehow the little rotation missed poor Kaze completely.

"Come on, guys! I wanna see!" he whined. Finally he managed to wrestle the fortune away from James. He quickly read the small blue letters, then his eyes grew wide in disbelief.

'Made in USA'.

"Oh my good, sweet goddesses!" Kaze laughed, smothering his face in his hands in an attempt to calm himself. When they had all recovered (after about three hours, twenty-six minutes, and… thirty-seven seconds later), Link was the one to ask the question that everyone was wondering.

"So… what's a 'USA'?"

An awkward silence proceeded the query, during which everyone stared at each other but no one said a word. Outside, the sky clouded over and a light rain began to fall. Kaze glanced out the window where he could just make out the Guardian Tree. He smiled weakly. He understood why it was raining…

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I'd tell ya what's gonna happen next chapter, but I don't remember. They go somewhere and do something… And a cookie to whoever figures out why it was raining! Five reviews or NO UPDATE! MUAHAHAHAHA! And I hate depraving you of your updates, so please review!


	5. Clues

First, the replies and the handing out of cookies! You're lucky Dragon-Charmer16 gave me the idea at the last minute to submit her re-mails as reviews under an anonymous name. Otherwise this chapter wouldn't be here. WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?

JMG: Well… you're half right. So you get half a cookie. Good thing they're big cookies… (gives half a cookie with a three foot radius) Yah, you're lucky I messed up on Chapter 3. Otherwise this would be Chapter 4!

Ilovelinky: I'm glad you like it. I update once a day, as long as I have five reviews when I sit down to do so.

Zeldafreak123: Yeah, it's okay… but the fight scenes aren't nearly as good as your own!

Dragon Charmer16: Actually, the mystery of the injured arm is revealed this chapter and elaborated next chapter. And there will eventually be a third story with Kaze in it… Just not yet. I'm still working on this one.

Dragon Charmer16: Yep, 'cause she misses her friends and wants to be a part of the fun too! You get a whole cookie! (gives cookie with six foot diameter) Enjoy! Heh, and you may not believe it, but all the fortunes I had them get were actual fortunes that I got at one time or another. 'Made in USA'… some kind of cryptic message. Hey, it's CHINESE food! Why is it made in the… oh, yeah. Nevermind! (nervous laugh)

GUUUYYYSSS! Hurry up with those reviews, will ya? I guess you're all starting school, aren't you? I haven't started yet. September 9 is when I go back! Grrr… I need to get that summer reading done sometime soon. Yah, well… I'm sure you all don't care. Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 5: Clues**

Stacking the dishes from their meal was like playing a game of Tetris, but that's another story entirely. The rain had died down and the sun was shining, so they ventured outside to discuss their plans.

"Zelda, did the scribe encode more than one book with the location of the Staff of Dreams?" Link inquired. The young queen shook her head. "One was dangerous enough, but two would be ludicrous," she explained.

"That Wythe man had such strong evil power radiating from him that I could probably pinpoint his location when we're within a reasonable distance," Malon suggested. Link nodded. "That's a handy talent indeed," he muttered. James, afraid of being left out of the journey, decided to make his own talents known. "I… I'm really good with a slingshot!" he exclaimed. The other four looked at him for a brief moment, then turned back to their conversation.

"So it's Malon, me, Kaze…"

Zelda interrupted Link's dealing out of the party members. "I want to go too, Link!" she said. "It's my fault that Wythe got the book, so it's my place to make sure that we get it back."

Link disagreed. "You're the only ruler Hyrule has," he explained. "If something were to happen and you were to die, there would be no one left in the Royal Family!" Zelda bowed her head. It was true, but she still didn't want to just sit around and do nothing.

Link resumed. "Malon, Kaze, me, and James," he said. James beamed. "Really?" he shouted unbelievingly. "I can come?" The hero smiled at his younger friend. "Of course. I asked you to come along from the very beginning," he reminded.

"Where are we going to go?" Malon asked. In truth, it was a question that everyone was wondering, but also one that no one knew the answer to. "Let's find Navi," Link suggested. "She'll be able to point us in our next direction."

Next the question of where to look for Navi arose. James had the interesting idea to consult Tingle the 'Fairy'. While no one wanted to face the speedo-wearing thirty-five-year-old, it was the only clue they had to go. "The inhabitants of Hyrule Castle Town are staying in Kakariko," Zelda explained. "The village has expanded well into Death Mountain, and it's become a beautiful city. Maybe someone there can tell you where to find Tingle."

Luckily, it wasn't far to Kakariko City. The market was set up and bustling with activity. Malon began to wander around the shops, James following her. Link and Kaze went in search of someone who might have seen Tingle, or better yet, Navi herself.

"Excuse me," Link said, tapping the shoulder of an elderly man in a blue robe. "Have you seen a middle-aged man wearing green and red clothes? He often floats from a large, red balloon and makes maps."

"Oh, you mean Tingle the Map-Maker?" the man said, pointing to a building a little distance away. "He doesn't wear red and green or float from a balloon, but he's the only map-maker we know of." Link, confused, thanked the man and headed for the house he had been directed to.

"Tingle sounds like a freak," Kaze snickered. Link nodded. "He is," he warned.

But when they opened the door to the shop marked 'Maps!', inside they found a middle-aged man with a loose white shirt, brown pants, and bronze hair. "What can Tingle do for you?" he asked, leaning on the counter he was standing behind.

Link stared in shock. This… was Tingle? "What happened to you?" he blurted. Tingle raised an eyebrow. "My father kicked me out," he chuckled. "Said that everyone has to get a life at some point or another. So now I make maps from the view of Hyrule I get from the very top of the mountain."

Since Link obviously wasn't going to say anything, Kaze took it upon himself to speak for him. "You know where to find a fairy called Navi?" he demanded, slamming his hand upon the counter. Tingle withdrew a bit and looked at the walls in contemplation.

"Not that fairy in particular, no," he admitted. "But in my travels to the peak of Death Mountain, I've seen the light of fairies glowing through cracks in the stone walls. I think there are monsters living in the mountains which hunt the fairies… For what, I don't know."

Link growled at this new knowledge. What kind of monster would kidnap innocent fairies? And for what purpose? He ran out the door and headed for Death Mountain immediately. Kaze, calling for him to wait, hurried after his friend.

"Link! Shouldn't we tell Malon and James?" he suggested. Link shook his head. "Don't want to put them in danger," he said simply. Kaze nodded in understanding. The hero and the thief were halfway up the mountain when they began to notice the cracks in the rocky walls that Tingle talked about.

Link leaned his ear against the slit and listened hard. He could hear no sounds from within. They spent hours testing every flaw in the stones to no avail, never turning a thought to how Malon and James were doing.

"Where could they be?" James whined. Malon shrugged with a sigh. "Maybe we should find a room at that inn," she proposed. The ex-Bomber nodded and they approached the hostess. "Excuse me, ma'am," the redhead ranch hand said. "One room with two beds, please."

The woman gave them the key to their room and they ascended the staircase to their chamber. On the way they passed a strange woman with long, black hair and dark purple lipstick. Her eyes were crimson and her skin was so pale it looked to be white. She glared at James and Malon as they passed.

Malon gasped and stumbled. James helped her to the room with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Malon shook her head. "That woman," she whispered. "I felt a stronger presence of evil from her than from Wythe!"

Back on Death Mountain, Link and Kaze were still testing the rock walls for hollows. Night was descending upon them. The stars were emerging from the blanket of daylight. Link looked upon them with an exasperated sigh. Their only lead to Navi's whereabouts was the piece of information given to them by Tingle, and he wasn't always the most reliable source.

"Look!" Kaze exclaimed, pointing to one of the walls the inspected earlier. A slight glow was shining from the crack. In fact, all over the mountain tiny lanterns of blue light were being lit. Link set a bomb beside one of the walls, but when it exploded, the wall was left undamaged.

Next he tried Din's Fire, which was also unsuccessful. "Darnit!" he shouted, kicking the stone. It crumbled away at his touch. Kaze chuckled and peered into the small cavern. There were tiny cages within. Inside each cage was a desperate little fairy.

"Go!" one of them commanded. "The Moblins are out now, but they'll be back any moment!"

Link and Kaze exchanged glances. "I can take any old Moblin!" they said simultaneously as they moved to undo the locks on the cages. "These aren't regular Moblins," a different fairy explained in a voice stripped of all hope. "These are Dark Moblins. They've grown insanely powerful by _eating_ fairies. Not only that, but they were created by Kuro's strongest servant!"

"Whoa, whoa, back up," Kaze said. "Who's Kuro?"

A fairy in a different grotto gave a cry of dismay. "The Moblins are returning!" she called in a shrill, panicked voice. Many of the fairies began to cry and try to pull the locks off of their cages. A great thunder of heavy footsteps approached. Link and Kaze readied their weapons. From around the bend appeared two lumbering Moblins with black skin and red markings. Link's grip on his sword faltered and his eyes grew wide.

"What is it?" Kaze hissed, his gaze not wavering from the two Dark Moblins that had stupidly not yet noticed them. "Those monsters," Link whispered back. "They're the ones that defeated me. They're the ones that injured my arm…"

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Tada! The mystery of what happened to Link's arm… REVEALED! Next chapter, the return of Navi and the battle against the Dark Moblins. After that, things really start heating up! Five reviews. No less, but more is certainly appreciated… Go review or no update! AND I MEAN IT! Now excuse me while I go an download some Zelda screensavers and wallpapers! (frolics away)


	6. Navi

BEEEEEEEP! The tone means it's _Reviewer ResponseTtime_!

Dragon-Charmer16: I still wanna know why you can't review… Yah, I think Dark Kaze is just a bit too much. Maybe all of the main characters' dark sides? Heh, Dark Saria. Dark… I'd say Mido, but that's a bit repetitive. And WHY won't people review anymore? It used to be that I'd get off at night and have up to thirteen reviews when I signed back on! Now I'm fighting to get a minimum of THREE!

JMG: .. I already said the answer… no second guesses. But… that's still wrong. n n;

Mxedcherub: Yup, Chapter 4: the find spurt of humor. Well, the final genuinely humorous moment. After that, it declines and continues to decline probably until the very end. I'll try to get a little humor into the end, seeing how this one will actually have a _happy_ ending.

Mxedcherub: Heh, I liked that chapter as well. It's the equivalent to "Da Footcher!" in the original, but without the word-happy Water Spirit. Well, if you gave Acarsis a carton of pork-fried rice… OO; No telling what she would do…

Mxedcherub: Yah, Kaze's a Gerudo boy. If you want to know about his powers, read "Trust Me". Actually… it turns out that Navi isn't that important after all, but Link has to find her eventually. She's his friend and all… So, the sooner the better, y'know? And yes, you did a wonderful job helping with Chapter 11. But unless I get my reviews, no one will ever see it…

Okay, that's it for the responses. Go read the chapter now! Eventually there will come the one of the biggest cliffhangers you've ever seen. On that day, I will demand ten reviews for the update. But if I get ten reviews for any day before that, I'll be more leniant. NOW GO READ! Muahahahahahahahaha!

**Chapter 6: Navi**

"What!" Kaze exclaimed, turning to Link.

"These are the monsters that hurt me! How many times must I say it?" Link repeated as he tightened his grip on his sword's hilt. The Dark Moblins spotted them and roared, charging with their spears in hand. Link dodged with ease; having faced them once before, he knew their moves fairly well. Kaze, on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate and the spear grazed his arm.

"Agh, goddesses, what is this! It's just a little scratch, but it burns so badly!" he shouted as he held the tiny wound with his other hand. Link's eyes grew wide with fear and he quickly dug into his pockets. He pulled out a few green leaves and tossed them to Kaze. "Tie them to the wound! Quickly!" he instructed as he drew the attention of the Moblins away from his friend.

"Hey, ugly!" Link shouted, throwing a stone at one of the Moblins' heads. "You wield a spear like a cucco!" He threw another stone, this time striking the other Moblin. Enraged, the two beasts charged with their poison-tipped spears ready to impale.

_Oh crap!_ Link thought as he realized that he was in no position to evade the attack.

"You're sure?" James whispered. Malon nodded. They were outside a room that Malon had decided was the evil woman's quarters. They were going to try to discover her intentions before she discovered them.

"On the count of three," James hissed, positioning himself to kick the door in. "One… two… three!" He kicked at the door with all his might, but it didn't as much as tremble under the force of the blow. A face appeared, formed from a black mist, and blew a raspberry at James and Malon. They looked at each other, then Malon grabbed the face's tongue and…

…yanked it out?

Malon shrieked in disgust and horror, dropping the black tongue on the floor and trampling it like an insect. When she was done, she and James crouched close and stared at it. Eventually the ex-Bomber poked it. The tongue wiggled, crawling back under the door.

"That's so gross!" Malon squealed. James tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. "Why didn't you do that before?" the redhead asked with an eyebrow raised. James laughed nervously. "Duh, 'cause it's no way to make an entrance!" he explained.

They entered the room quietly. No one was there, but there were books open all over. One was open to a page describing Dark Moblins, another contained information on fairies. James scanned over one of the books in curiosity. "Eww!" he exclaimed in distaste. "It says that creating a Dark Moblin is simple, but you can only feed them with _live fairies_. That makes them stronger…"

"What are you doing in my room?" an icy voice inquired harshly.

"Link!" Kaze shouted in alarm. He hurled a large stone at the Moblins, but only hit one. Fortunately, distracting one of the beasts left Link a decent opening for escape. He slipped out of the path of the other charging Moblin, and it rammed its poison-tipped spear into the rock wall. When it pulled the weapon free, there was still a large boulder skewered upon it.

"Oh, great!" Link groaned. "Now it has a club!" Indeed, the Dark Moblin seemed to fancy the idea of having a club instead of a spear. It bashed its new weapon against the ground, creating a large crater, and bellowed.

"Hey, Link!" Kaze called, dodging the spear of his own opponent. "I think we oughta run!"

"No!" Link cried. "I'm not leaving until we have Navi back! NAVI! Where are you?"

There was a muffled cry somewhere along the stone walls, probably within a hidden grotto. _Navi!_ Link thought in relief. He ran along the walls, the Dark Moblin trying to crush him beneath his stone club. "Link!" a familiar voice called from behind the rocks.

The young hero flattened himself against the earthen wall and the Dark Moblin swung his club with astounding strength. Link leapt out of the way and the boulder crashed into the wall, shattering both of them. Within was a tiny cage, and within the cage was Navi!

The Dark Moblin roared. Its brilliant new weapon had been demolished! Furious, the Moblin thrust its spear at Link repeatedly. He snatched Navi's cage from its place and situated it in a manner that when the Moblin struck again, its sharp javelin broke the lock. Navi fluttered out and laughed, then flew circles around Link's attacker. The Moblin became irritated from her incessant flitting and ran around and around trying to capture her.

Eventually the Moblin dizzied itself and fell to the ground. "Great! Can we run now?" Kaze pleaded as he ducked to avoid his own opponent's assault. Link shook his head. "Navi!" he said, turning to his fairy companion. "Target the Dark Moblin's weak spot!" Navi nodded and fluttered beside the monster.

"It's a Dark Moblin, and they fight with poisoned spears!" the fairy reported. Link rolled his eyes. "I know that, Navi! Tell me about its weak spot!" he requested. Navi inspected the whole of the beast's body, making mental notes the whole time.

"Hey! I think I found something! Listen: if you shoot it between the eyes, it'll be vulnerable!"

Link nodded and thanked Navi for the tip, then took out his old slingshot. "Hope I still have some left," he muttered as he felt around in his pockets for a Deku seed. Success! His fingers found the projectile and set it into the slingshot. He struggled a little to get the slingshot ready for launching; anyone would have trouble with only one hand. "Hey, _uglier_!" Link taunted. The Dark Moblin turned with an intimidating growl.

Seeing this as his only opportunity, Link shot the Deku seed right between the eyes of the Moblin. The monster staggered back, howling with agony. Kaze saw his opening and slashed at the beast with his sword. They had won.

"Good job!" Navi congratulated, flying in cheerful circles around Link. Then she looked to Kaze with a bright smile. "You did well too! My name is Navi! What's yours?" she asked, fluttering her wings ecstatically. The young thief smirked. "Name's Kaze," he replied simply. Navi nodded, then returned to Link's side.

"It's so good to see you again!" she said. "Honestly, I thought I was Moblin food! Thank goddesses you came when you did! We won't be able to bring back those who have already lost themselves to the Dark Moblins, but at least no more will die in vain!"

Link nodded, holding back his tears of joy at finding his dear friend and saving her before she was lost forever. He bit his lip, wondering what he would have done if she really _had_ been eaten… _No, Link. Don't think of such things!_ his conscience scolded. _Navi is safe and well! Be grateful that you rescued her in time!_

Kaze poked Link's arm to draw him out of his well of thought. "We oughta get back to Malon and James. I bet they're worried!" he suggested. Link nodded with a deep sigh. Navi was back. Perhaps now they could bring Hieke back as well…

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And that's that! If I'm correct in my thinking, I believe next chapter is the uber-cliffie. What happens next chapter…? I don't remember. Sorry guys, you'll just have to review and find out tomorrow! IF I get my reviews, that is…


	7. Lilith

As per usual, the first order of business is reviewer replies!

Dragon-Charmer16: Oo; Well… (gives sugar) Enjoy!

Mxedcherub: Actually, I have no idea what the tongue thing was about. I guess it's Lilith's way of saying, "Keep out."

Zeldafreak123: To tell the truth, I can't stand her either. Don't worry, you won't see much of her in this story, even after she comes back.

JMG: Wow, that has to be the shortest review from you ever. No corrections, no questions, no drawing requests, nothing. But hey, a review's a review!

Then I got two reviews for my poem, "A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf."

ShadowZero00: Everyone loves Zelda! Well, everyone who's ever played it. I'm glad you like the poem. Personally, I hated it. But that's me. Critical, hateful me. Sad to say my other stories are much, much longer. "For the Sake of the World" is finished if you wanna check that out. Thanks for reviewing! It's always great to see a new name pop up!

Gina wooo: It only scares you because you've never played Ocarina of Time and you have no idea who Dark Link is, right? Well, it's not too hard to figure out. I mean, you know about Link so just, like, make him all dark and shadowy and whatnot and there's Dark Link. Oh yeah, and with the red eyes. Can't forget the red eyes!

Whoo! Six honest reviews! And when I say 'honest' I mean no doubles! YAY! Okay, thank you! But now it's time for the next chapter. Let's go! (Warning: this chapter contains character death. Don't worry though, she won't be dead forever. She'll come back. I promise!)

**Chapter 7: Lilith**

"Well?"

Malon and James turned around slowly only to meet the cold crimson gaze of the woman from before. "I asked you a question!" she boomed, her face a mask of ferocity.

"W-we… We went into the wrong room," James offered. "I'm sorry. You see, our room is right next door and we're very tired, so we…"

"Get out!" the woman demanded. James and Malon ran out of the room and into their own. Malon sat down on her bed, trying to catch her breath. James lay down on his own with a sigh of relief. "Too close," he muttered, his arm across his face. Malon nodded. "Way too close," she added.

There was a knock on the door and the two jumped up for fear the woman had discovered what they had been doing in her room. "Who is it?" James asked, masking the anxiety from his voice. "It's Link and Kaze," came the muffled response. The ex-Bomber pulled the door open and hastily dragged his companions into the room, then slammed the door.

"Hey!" shouted a high-pitched voice from the other side of the closed door. Link opened it, letting Navi inside. "We got Navi back!" he announced, gesturing to the little fairy. "Navi, you know Malon. And this is James; I met him in Termina."

Navi floated between the two, looking from one to the other. "Nice seeing you again, Miss Malon. It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr. James," she said with a smile. Link rolled his eyes. "You're so full of yourself, Navi," he grinned. She huffed, but returned the smile nonetheless.

"So, we just killed a couple Dark Moblins, saved a few dozen fairies, and brought Navi back. How've you guys been?" Kaze asked boastfully. "There's an evil woman in the next room!" Malon blurted. James motioned for her to calm herself.

"Wait, wait. Did you say 'Dark Moblins'?" James asked, remembering the text from the book her read. Kaze and Link nodded simultaneously. Link cracked the door and looked down the hall. There was a black light shining from beneath the door of the neighboring room. The light subsided and he could hear a muffled growling. The door swung open and Link slunk back.

Out of the room came a head of black hair and crimson eyes. She surveyed the hallway, then gestured for someone or something to follow her. Out of the room marched five Dark Moblins, but these had gold markings instead of scarlet ones. Link gasped and silently shut the door, his face pale. "Whoever that woman is, she's making more of those monsters!" he whispered.

Kaze slashed at the empty air with his sword. "Those two were hard enough to defeat! Now we have to take down five more!" he spat. "At least you know their weak spot now," Navi reminded. James, desperate to take some kind of action, ran to the door and whipped it open. He hurried down the hall, calling for the woman to stop.

Link and Kaze ran after him. _Fool!_ Link thought. _He thinks he can stop five Dark Moblins!_

Malon cautiously followed after her friends. There was a strong presence of evil in that room and she no longer wanted to stay there. By the time she caught up, Link, Kaze, and James were standing face to face with the five Dark Moblins and their creator.

"Give us your name!" Link demanded. The woman chuckled. "You demand my name?" she asked, her eyes narrow slits of fire. "Very well. I am known by many names: the Maker of Monsters, the Bearer of Beasts, the Conjurer of Creatures. I am Lilith, faithful servant to Lord Kuro."

"You made those Dark Moblins?" Kaze assumed, gesturing to the five monsters that were standing very obediently around Lilith. "Dark Moblins?" Lilith laughed. "Those are a thing of the past! Children, meet my newest beasts: the Grand Moblins!" The gold-marked beats growled, shaking their poisoned spears at Link and his group.

"The poison upon their lances is far more deadly that that of the Dark Moblins'. Boy, with the herbs bound about your arm, if that wound had been inflicted by one of my Grand Moblins, you would be dead," she explained, looking at Kaze. She turned to Link. "And you," she began, gesturing to his arm. "If that was the wound of a Grand Moblin, you would probably still be alive, but that arm would have fallen off long ago!"

Malon closed her eyes tightly in disgust at the thought. Lilith laughed again. "If you need us, we'll be finding food for my dear pets! Since you released all my captive fairies, I created these with a taste for the blood of the Kokiri people!" she said as they all disappeared in a mist of purple smoke.

Link sighed and looked over the faces of his companions. Killing was not Lilith's intent. If she wanted to, she could have ordered her Grand Moblins to slay everyone there. And they probably would have succeeded. So why didn't she?

"It's almost like she wants us to follow her," James commented. He was right… She had almost just come out and told them that she was going to the Kokiri Forest. She was either incredibly tactful or incredibly moronic. Link, the undying optimist, went with the latter. "Then let's oblige her!" he said, whisking out his ocarina and playing the Minuet of the Forest.

In seconds they were standing in front of the entrance to the Forest Temple. "Let's hurry!" Link said, taking off through the Sacred Forest Meadow with his companions following closely behind. Link was the first to see the smoke. He growled, scolding his speed, and urged himself to hurry.

When they reached the forest, they found it ablaze. Grand Moblins were spearing the Kokiri and devouring them like chicken nuggets. Link cried out in horror as he ran to Saria's house. She was the Sage of the Forest; surely she would have made it…!

"Link, wait!" Kaze called. Malon huddled against a tree, overwhelmed in the company of such a malignant evil. James crouched beside her, telling her that they had to follow Link. "He's a warrior," the ex-Bomber reminded. "I'm sure it's perfectly safe." Eventually James convinced Malon to rise and they hurried after Link and Kaze.

Link ran inside Saria's house and found it occupied by a Grand Moblin. It had his dear friend cornered, its spear pointed to her throat and her slender body hewed in several places. "Saria!" Link shouted, taking his sword and slashed repeatedly at the monster. "Don't touch her, you… you…!" Kaze noted the tears in Link's eyes and drew his own blade.

"Ya gotta be refined, Link!" the thief said. "Hacking away aimlessly won't do a thing!" He made several well-placed cuts on the Grand Moblin. The beast turned to them, Saria's neck clenched in its fist. She uttered a stifled groan as the Moblin's grip tightened.

"Don't you hurt her!" Link screamed as he thrust his sword into his enemy's head. Screeching with pain, the Moblin released the limp Kokiri girl and clutched at the wound on its face. "Saria!" Link cried and ran to the girl's side. Unable to speak, Saria mouthed a few words to him, then the most unthinkable thing occurred…

"Saria, please…" Link closed his eyes and held Saria in his arms. "I don't want to lose you too… I still haven't recovered from Hieke's sacrifice; if you die…!" Saria gave a weak smile and her half-lidded eyes glimmered with trust. 'I'm sorry,' her paling lips formed. Link held the lifeless body of his friend for some time, his shoulders shuddering.

"Yo, Link! I know you're having a sentimental moment there but… _help me_!" Kaze shouted. It was all he could manage to block the unrelenting blows delivered to him by the enraged Grand Moblin. Link set Saria down gently, grabbed the Moblin's spear hand before it moved to attack again. He dug his fingers into its dark flesh, then started hitting the hand against it's owner's head. "Stop…! Hitting…! Yourself…!" Link screamed, pausing between the words to strike the Grand Moblin with its own hand. When the monster was _well_ beyond dazed, Link took his sword and impaled it upon his opponent's back.

The Moblin let out a long, low bellow, then collapsed. Link fell to his knees, his head bowed. Kaze put a hand on his friend's back, offering what little comfort he could. The Kokiri were all being slaughtered. Now Saria, Link's closest friend, had fallen victim to the evils of Lilith… No. She wasn't thinking of her own power. "Kuro." Link spat the name like it was some kind of venom.

"Link! We have to help the other Kokiri!" Kaze reminded as he headed for the door. Link came out of his contemplative trance and followed his friend outside. The remaining four Grand Moblins were standing in an orderly group, watching something above the house. Link ran forward and turned back, then spotted what it was the beasts were staring at.

"Well, well. It looks as though my Grand Moblin wasn't even a challenge to you in your fit of rage," Lilith smiled. Link barred his teeth, but said nothing. The woman sighed and leaped down to the head of her remaining Grand Moblins. "The Kokiri were no more than a mere appetizer," she smirked. "Next we're headed to that Lon Lon Ranch place. You see, my dear little pets have developed a taste for cuccos, horses, and grown men. Where else can you find all three in the same place?"

Malon gave a cry of dismay. "You wouldn't dare!" she shouted, tears in her eyes. Lilith laughed. "Oh, but I would! My Grand Moblins are starving themselves, so we'll be off!" she announced. Lilith and her remaining four creations vanished in a black fog as they did before.

"We have to hurry and go stop them!" Malon said, turning to Link. The young hero shook his head. "Saria told me… Before she died, she said that Lilith was just leading us on. And we were following her plans exactly. Every time we go after her, we walk into a trap that emotionally weakens us. We have to… Let's go see Zelda," he suggested.

James shook his head. "I don't know what the queen will do for us," he muttered. He stood close to the others as Link played the Prelude of Light and they all vanished…

"Wh-where are we?" Link asked, startled. The Prelude of Light was supposed to take them to the Temple of Time in Hyrule Castle Town, now the Sacred Ground. But where they were…

Bones littered the area. Fires still smoldered here and there. The ground was barren and hard. There was no life anywhere… "The Guardian Tree!" Kaze and Link both blurted at the same time, running out of the half-demolished building.

Link stopped, his eyes wide with horror. Kaze uttered a small cry of shock. The Guardian Tree, Hieke, was…

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W00t! How's _that_ for a cliffhanger? If you want to find out what's going on with the Tree, I want… TEN REVIEWS! I'm not kidding! Ten or no update! Next time: Chapter 8: Deception. The mystery of Kuro's evil revealed. An offer is made! And what happened to the Guardian Tree? Ten reviews if you wanna know! Oh, and I want to introduce you to someone!

Little Link: Hello. I'm Link from the Majora's Mask manga. Uber Spoonz has lots of summer reading to take care of before school starts, so starting next chapter, you'll have me as your review replier and chapter previewer.

Me: Okay, so I bit you farewell! Gotta go read that awesome book about Greek gods, heros, and myths! Ten reviews, everyone! You heard me right! Ten!


	8. Deception

You guys are lucky I have friends who really want to read this. One went back and reviewed "For the Sake of the World" over again so I could have my ten reviews and continue.

HELLO: Lol, I can tell.

HELLO: So I see.

HELLO: XD Yes, it certainly is that.

HELLO: That's a good thing.

Then there're reviews for this story.

Fire god101: Thanks for saying. Hee hee, I know I'm evil. Figured it would be a great way to get reviews. It didn't work.

Dragon-Charmer16: Whew, good thing Kaze isn't here right now… He's not going to like this chapter. And Link won't be too happy around Chapter 12, then he'll be ecstatic. Lots is going to happen to Hieke… Saria's death is the least of our troubles.

JMG: Hear that, everyone? You're being threatened!

HELLO: (gives candy)

HELLO: You are _never_ done. (evil grin)

Ilovelink: Yup, I am the Mistress of Cliffhangers! Ph34r m3! X3

Okay, news! I updated my website! You can still get there from my profile, under "home page". Enjoy the pictures and here's Chapter 8, what happened to the Guardian Tree!

**Chapter 8: Deception**

Gone. The Guardian Tree was simply not there anymore. Kaze ran to the ground where the great Tree once slumbered. "B-but… big ol' trees don't just up and leave! Where did she go!" he demanded, pacing around the whole of the Sacred Ground.

"Link, be careful," Malon warned. "There's a great evil here…" James took out his slingshot and loaded it with an exploded pellet. Link drew his sword halfheartedly. James could see that he was deeply upset. _Hieke meant a lot to him_, he thought. _It's only natural to be sad when your best friend goes missing…_ Unintentionally he turned to Malon. The redhead gave him a sliver of a smile, then moved to comfort Link.

There came an echoing laughter from above. The small assemblage looked up to see the Guardian Tree floating high in the air with a large piece of earth attached to its roots. Upon that chunk of ground stood a relatively short figure with dark hair and black eyes. He wore a smirk similar to Kaze's and stood in a manner not unlike Link's.

"Hello, my friends!" the man said with a flourish. "My name is Kuro!" He jumped down from the Tree, his black cloak trailing behind him. It seemed that there wasn't an inch of his body that wasn't dark in some way. Malon and James stared at the man, their eyes set into harsh glares.

"What, no greeting? Not even a smile?" Kuro said in a disappointed voice. Link, Kaze, and James scowled at him. Kuro huffed and made a hand gesture towards the Tree, resulting in it lowering closer to the ground. "Gonna borrow your friend here," he announced as he patted the massive trunk.

"Get your filthy hands off of her!" Link commanded, lunging with his sword. Kuro drew a sword of dark light and countered the blow with ease. "Pathetic," he smiled. Link fell to his knees, resting his weight upon his hands. His golden-bladed sword clattered to the ground beside him. "Weakling," Kuro sneered. "Bow before the power which is your own personal evil…"

Kaze, seeing that his friend would make no move to rise, moved to help him. But one glance from Kuro froze him to the place. "I… can't fight this," he breathed as his shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes. James watched with awestruck eyes, unable to believe that his warrior companions would surrender so easily.

"Leave them alone!" he shouted as he took aim with his slingshot. Kuro blinked and laughed at the boy. "Your own evils shall devour you!" he cried as he thrust his arms above his head. Images began to fill James' mind…

_"Oh, hello, James!" Malon greeted happily. "I'm so glad to hear that you're going to be making a home in Hyrule!"_

_James nodded. "I'll build a nice house for myself out by that wall," he explained as he pointed to the stone wall that divided Lon Lon Ranch from the plains. Malon nodded. "Why are you moving so near to the ranch, James?" she asked._

_"Well," the ex-Bomber muttered, his eyes downcast. "Well, I love you, Malon. And I'd like to be close to you." Malon's face became a mask of disgust. "James, how could you say that?" she said, shaking her head. "I could never love a child like you! Go die!"_

James collapsed to the ground, whimpering quietly. Malon crouched beside him, asking what was wrong. Kuro released a thunderous laugh to the heavens. He turned to the Guardian Tree with a wide smile. "Looks like these fools have tasted my darkness," he chuckled. "Good thing you're locked up in that tree, right, my dear? Couldn't have you scampering about and meddling around in my brilliant plans, could we?" He and the Tree disappeared into the cloud-mottled sky.

Link, put his hand to his head, hiding his tear-streaked face from his friends. He sobbed slightly, then caught himself. _It wasn't real_, he assured himself. _Such a thing would never come to pass!_ Kaze stood next. "Ooh, my head!" he groaned. Malon looked at the two, then to the place where Kuro departed.

"Guys, something's weird about that man," she said as she helped James to his feet. "You're telling me!" Kaze snapped. "He just looked at me… and it was like all my strength left my body. And I got these terrible visions that Hieke was being brutally slaughtered, and…" His voice trailed off, unable to word the horrors he saw. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to drive the memories away.

"Really?" Malon asked curiously. "I didn't feel anything." Link froze in a moment of realization, then turned to the redhead. "What did you just say?" he inquired.

"I didn't feel anything," Malon repeated. Link raised an eyebrow. "I thought you could detect evil?" he reminded. The ranch hand nodded vigorously. "That's exactly my point! Now that I think about it, I didn't sense anything from him the first time either. Despite what it seems… Kuro hasn't a trace of evil in his soul. Less so than even you, Link!"

Kaze snickered. "Dude, one-upped by a villain," he grinned. Link rolled his eyes, indicating for him to be silent. "So… who's the bad guy when the bad guy isn't bad?" James asked. There was a long moment of silence.

"Well, he did something," Link muttered. "Something that left us all weak… defenseless." Kaze shook his head. "It's like he draws his power from the evils of other people, no matter how slight they may be. And that evil manifests itself as visions of our greatest fears as it robs us of our strength…"

"Kaze, oh my goddesses!" Link blurted. The young thief looked at his friend with eyes wide from surprise. "You said something intelligent!" the hero laughed. "Actually," Malon said ponderously, "it makes good sense. That would explain why I didn't feel any evil from him."

James nodded. "He somehow looks into your mind and finds what you fear the most, then shows it to you," he elaborated. "He takes your greatest inner evils, your personal demons, and makes them all come true. Well, true for whoever is seeing it."

Link looked to the darkened sky where the Guardian Tree and Kuro had once been. "Hieke!" he shouted as a soft rain began to fall, gathering intensity by the second. "Hieke, come back! Please, just come back!"

Kaze bowed his head and Malon and James fell silent. Link's breaths came in shudders, and he soon gave up calling for his dear friend. "Darnit, Hieke! Why can't you just come back when we need you!" he cried one last time.

"You want your friend returned to you?" asked a cryptic voice from behind them.

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Who's there and can he bring Hieke back? Well, next chapter: HIEKE'S RETURN! But something's wrong… What is it? I only want five this time! Hear me? Just FIVE! Go review now! n.n I'll be waiting!


	9. Doll

…This is what I'm talking about, people! I go to bed with three reviews and wake up with flippin' THIRTEEN! Let's get respondin'!

JMG: Don't worry, I got my reviews. Lots of 'em, too. Yah, typos, we all get 'em. Especially when we don't look at the keyboard when we type, right?

Ihatereading: If you hate reading, why are you reviewing a second time, JMG?

Fire god101: Glad you like it!

Dragon-Charmer16: This is the one who makes up the bulk of my reviews! Goin' all the way back to Chapter 16 of "For the Sake of the World": Yup, coming back. Continuation is GOD! Well, maybe not… (17) Heheheh… Better throw some water wings in there for Link! (1, Face Your Demons) Jim, James, Jimmy, BOB! Muahahahahahaha! (2) Well, actually… Everything's gonna get a little… eh, _evil_ for Hieke for a while. (3) YAY, SPANIARDS! (5) Useless arm, ha hah! It'll get better, though… (6) Dark Link and Shiek? Never been done before! GO FOR IT! Muahahahahaha! Oi, and the Dark Moblins are nothing… There's worse on the way. I thought I already talked about the Grand Moblins? (7) You guys are weird! Entertaining, though, I'll give you that. You oughta write a humor fic! (8) Well, yeah. Malon's right. It'll end well this time. Cool it, Gerudo boy! She's coming back this chapter! Well, at least you got to review, yes? (nod)

Okay, that's that! Coming soon to the _Companion_: a picture of adult Hieke and a picture of Kaze drawn by Dragon-Charmer16! Now, ONTO THE STORY!

**Chapter 9: Doll**

Link whipped around, tears stinging at his eyes. "Wythe!" he gasped, drawing his blade and readying himself for battle. The evil man laughed and waved Link off. "No, no. I'm not here to fight with you. I merely want to know how badly you want your little friend back," he explained.

"Like you could return her!" Kaze spat, his own weapon in hand. James pulled out his slingshot, but poor Malon was left dizzy from the evil that radiated from the man. "Oh, but I could," Wythe said enticingly. "I'm very strong, you see. Besides, we need that girl free." He pulled a leather-bound book with an ivory emblem from his robes and tapped at the cover. "We can't procure the Staff of Nightmares with her sleeping inside that wretched piece of lumber."

"Don't talk about Hieke that way!" Link advised harshly. Wythe raised an eyebrow at this. "I offer to free her from that prison for you, and this is how you thank me?" he said airily. "Like you'd do _us_ any favors!" James exclaimed as he fired an exploding pellet at their enemy. He blocked it without a thought.

"All I ask is that you give us something, and we'll return her to you unharmed," he pledged, placing his hand across his heart. Link was very tempted by this. While he knew making deals with the enemy would only bite him back, he was eager to see Hieke again. "What is it that you want?" he muttered fiercely. A grin contorted Wythe's dark countenance.

"Oh, nothing important," he sighed. "How about I bring her to you now? You meet me here in one hour and I'll have Miss Hieke ready to go." With not another word, Wythe vanished.

Kaze noticed that Link was trembling. "Man, what is with that guy?" he asked. "Is he on our side…? Or is this some kind of trick?" Link closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"He has something planned. We know he's evil from Malon's reaction. But… I believe that he intends to return Hieke to us. There's a catch. What it is, though, I don't know," he said quietly. They decided to visit with Zelda until their hour wait was up. The queen was appalled to hear what had transpired within the Sacred Ground.

"This is unheard of!" she ranted. "Not once, but _twice_! Twice the forces of darkness have treaded upon holy soil! And they've taken the Guardian Tree as well! _Unprecedented_! I will not allow this! Link, you must stop them!"

The hero was busy studying a pane of stained glass. "You talking to me, Princess? I mean, Queen… Your Majesty?" he said absently. Zelda waved him off, flustered. "He promised to return Hieke to you? Unharmed at that? I don't believe it!"

"Miss Zelda, if Hieke is taken out of the Tree, then what will become of the seal?" James asked, his eyes wide with fear for the answer. Zelda pondered this for a while. "I believe it will be fine," she concluded. "The seal will be considerably weaker, yes, but there are six other Spirits sustaining it. Ganondorf will remain inside the seal."

The hour seemed to pass more quickly for Link by studying the stained glass window. When their wait was up, everyone returned to the Sacred Ground where they found two figures: one was Wythe, but the other was wrapped in a black cloak and they couldn't tell who it was. Malon kept her distance from the scene, for the presence of evil was far stronger than she had ever felt it.

"Go forward, my dear," Wythe whispered to the cloaked figure. As it walked, he removed the black robe from it, revealing none other than Hieke, the Spirit of the Celestials. But there was something wrong with her… Instead of her cheerful orange clothes she wore drab black and gray robes. Her hair seemed paler than before and hung about her face carelessly.

"Tell them, dear. Who do you serve?" Wythe asked gently. "I serve Lord Kuro," Hieke stated, her voice void of emotion. Kaze fell to his knees, unable to see his close friend in such a manner. "And who is your Master?" Wythe asked. "Lord Kuro is my master," the girl replied, still emotionless.

"You monster!" Zelda shouted. "Did you not promise that she would remain unharmed?"

Wythe clicked his tongue and gestured to the shadow that once was Hieke. "Do you see a scratch on her body?" he inquired maliciously. "No, you don't. You may have some trouble making conversation with her, though." He turned to Hieke and smiled warmly. "Go ahead, dear. Go and meet your friends."

Hieke walked forwards stiffly, her tattered robes trailing behind her. Her once lustrous amber eyes had died to cold stones and were empty of the gleam of determination she once had. Link put his hands on her shoulders and shook her. "Hieke! Snap out of it! Please!" he begged. The girl reached up a hand and brushed away his tears.

"With Lord Kuro, there is no pain. With Lord Kuro, you know no sorrow."

"Stop talking like that!" Kaze demanded and slapped his former friend. "Kaze!" Malon and James shouted simultaneously, appalled that their friend would behave in such a manner. Wythe erupted in a sinister laughter.

"Sorry, kids, but Lord Kuro needed me to take her soul in order to get the Staff of Nightmares! She's still a pretty face, but not much more than that!" Wythe laughed. He drew a bottle out of his ebony robes and tossed it in his hands. Inside was what looked like a star, glowing brightly like a little flame.

Navi fluttered as near as she could get, then reported back to Link. "It's a soul, Link!" she said in awe. "The soul of a powerful entity!"

"Hieke's soul," Link growled. "I'd love to stay longer," Wythe smirked, "but I have a delivery to make to Lord Kuro. He'll reward me richly for my efforts. While extracting the girl from the seal couldn't have been easier, she scampered off immediately and I had to hunt her down. Now, getting her little soul out of that body, that's another story entirely. And then Drakar, that fool… Oh, I've dawdled here far too long. Lord Kuro is surely waiting for me! Goodbye, dear! Have fun with your friends!" And with that, Wythe and Hieke's soul disappeared.

"Hieke… Can you hear me?" Link asked, hoping it was all a joke of some kind. Hieke looked at him with stony eyes. "Shall we do battle?" she said, drawing out a black sword and readying herself.

"What are you doing?" Link demanded as he dodged a swift blow from Hieke's ebony blade. "I am entertaining myself. I am following my master's wishes. Would you not do the same?" the former Spirit of the Celestials asked listlessly. Kaze moved to aid his friend. "Hieke! Stop! Do you remember me? It's me, Kaze!" he pleaded, pointing at himself.

"Of course I remember you, Kaze," Hieke said with languid smile. She thrust her sword repeatedly and blocked Kaze into a corner. Link stood with his shoulders slumped, no longer caring about anything. "Link! What are you doing?" Zelda called. "Don't give up! Your friend is still there… somewhere deep inside!"

_"Boo!" the head shouted in a feminine voice. Link jumped to his feet with an exclamation and looked around a few times before thinking to check the window. "Who are you?" he demanded, trying to come off as brave and fearless._

_The presumed girl giggled and jumped into the room elegantly. She appeared to be about as old as Link. Her skin was tan, though not as much as the Gerudos'. She had blond hair tied into a braid that extended down to her knees and bangs that were brushed aside in a way that mostly covered the right side of her face. Her eyes were amber in color and glowed with the fire of youth. She wore a white shirt and an orange jacket that just barely reached her waist. She had on an orange skirt with white patterns and boots the same hue as her jacket._

_Link studied the girl's features carefully, making note of any weapons she may have. The child looked at him with confusion and tried to figure out what he was looking at. She eventually gave up. "Hi! My name is Hieke! What's yours?" she asked smilingly._

"My name… is Link," he muttered under his breath. "And I will not allow you to continue this way. Hieke!"

The shadowed girl stopped and turned to Link blankly. "You left the Gerudos because they were hurting innocent people! You ran from me because you were trying to protect me! You sacrificed yourself so the inhabitants of Hyrule could survive! And who are you now!" he shouted. "Who are you!"

"Master Drakar," Hieke said quietly, her head lolled slightly to the side. "Master Drakar, you should take them to the dungeons now."

Link turned to his friends, save for Kaze, his eyes a grim shade of cobalt. "Malon, James, Zelda, Navi… All of you, go. Go now, and don't return. Don't look back, not once. I promise, Kaze and I will be fine. Now go!" he ordered. Malon started to resist, but James grabbed her hand and ran towards the castle with Zelda and Navi following. "Link, you be careful!" he shouted. He wasn't one to run, but he had seen in Link's eyes was Malon had not. Something horrible was bound to occur soon.

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Okay, next chapter: Chapter 10: The Dungeons! Lotsa stuff happens there! Since I got 13 reviews, I'm giving you a break. Three reviews and I'll update! W00t! Okay, go review now!


	10. Dungeons

Got a really angry review… Someone's gotten a little emotionally attached to my characters. Well, without further ado, here's the replies! You thought I was gonna go straight into the chapter, didn't chya? Nope!

Dragon-Charmer16: OO; Uh, well… Actually, things will get worse before they get better. I think it's Chapter 13 or 14 when everything is okay again. Uh heh… don't kill me! -gives straight jackets- Use these! They're very entertaining! Pursue a career as an escape artist! Just don't kill me when things get worse, okay?

Lil-Miaka: I'm glad you like it! Yup, read it, reviewed it, LOVED IT!

JMG: Actually, I lost two of my reviewers in the sequel switch. EvilRobot and CheeseFromJupiter, come on down! … Or not. Fine! Be that way!

Okay, we're all good. Let's get started! By the way, my website has been updated (again). Like, five new pictures! New buttons. A "New Stuff" section. But you're here for the story, right? Enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Dungeons**

There was a sound of wings somewhere in the sky. From the ominous clouds came a slender man with black wings upon his back.

"Master Drakar, here they are," Hieke said, gesturing to the two boys. The man, obviously this Drakar character, spread his great sable wings and smiled. "Very good, little one. I will take them to the dungeons now," he announced. He cast two orbs of black magic about the boys, sealing them within and knocking them unconscious. The four vanished in a dark mist…

"Ohh," Link groaned, sitting up. He was in a dim cell constructed of stone. The only light was from a tiny slit in the stones that made the ceiling. There was barely room for Link to stand. When he attempted to do so, he hit his head. "Blast you!" he cursed, punching at the ceiling repetitiously.

"Link…"

The voice was like a ghost whispering on the winter breeze. Link strained to see through the darkness. "You are Link, are you not?" asked the voice again. It was familiar, but strangely foreign at the same time. Finally Link was able to make out the shape of his dear friend.

"Hieke!" he shouted gleefully, tears already in his eyes. Then his expression grew solemn and pained. "Go," he commanded. "You're a traitor. Soul or no soul… You're too strong to be controlled without giving into it. Go away…!"

The Spirit reached out a hand and touched Link's bandaged arm. In an instant the agony that he had become so accustomed to over the months drained away and he was able to move his limb again. He gasped and looked up into the cold, apathetic eyes of his friend. "Are you a traitor… or aren't you?" he asked quietly.

"Traitor," Hieke repeated, her vacant eyes downcast. "I want to… help?"

Link gave a meek smile and nodded. "Atta girl, Hieke. Tell you what, you can help by getting me out of here," he whispered. Hieke closed her eyes and a soft glow enveloped them both. When the light cleared away, Link found that he was standing in the middle of a long hallway lit with torches. "Where are we?" he inquired.

"Dungeons," Hieke replied simply. Link stared at his friend for a moment. "Where are you?" he asked softly after a long period of silence. "Master Drakar will be furious with you," she said, ignoring the question. Or perhaps she didn't understand… "I suggest you find your friend and leave. Wythe is very close to interpreting the tome. If they get the Staff of Dreams, your cause will be lost."

"Where is Drakar?" Link asked. Hieke turned and began to walk down the hallways. "You should find your friend," she repeated. Link growled in frustration. "Hieke! He's your friend too! Will you snap out of it already? I know they took your soul away, but they didn't take your spirit! Somewhere in there is the Hieke I know… Somewhere is the Hieke that I traveled with… the Hieke that I love…"

"Oi, sappy!" said a familiarly cocky voice. "Kaze!" Link exclaimed, looking around. "You won't see him," Hieke informed. "If you wait, I will retrieve him." She faded in a soft glow and returned moments later with Kaze.

"Hey! You all right, buddy?" the thief smirked. Link nodded and gestured to his arm. "Good as new. I knew that Hieke would be able to heal it," he smiled. Hieke stared through them, her empty eyes not focusing on anything. "No doubt you wish to see Master Drakar," she interrupted, for the boys had been conversing.

"Oh, yeah. Could you take us to him now?" Link asked. Hieke shook her head. "What!" Kaze blurted in confusion. "But you said… Weren't you offering to lead us to Drakar just now?" Hieke shook her ahead again. "I was merely stating the obvious. Master Drakar is not in at the moment, but you can talk to Wythe."

Kaze and Link looked at each other, then turned back to Hieke. "That works too!" they shrugged. The once cheerful girl strode down the corridor, brushing her hand against the wall from time to time. They eventually came to a large, wooden door. Hieke knocked on the door loudly.

"Mister Wythe, you have visitors," she announced. The door swung open and Hieke stood aside, gesturing for Link and Kaze to enter. The boys stepped forward warily, their eyes surveying every corner of the room. It was dark, dark as though not a glimmer of sunlight had reached it in ages.

"Welcome, boys," said a haunting voice. Wythe came forth, a torch in his hand. "I trust your stay was to your liking? Oh, that reminds me. Hieke, dear, why did you let them free?" he asked, his cold eyes falling upon the Spirit.

"Friends," she whispered. Wythe scoffed. "You already have Lord Kuro, Miss Lilith, Mister Drakar, and myself! Why do you need these worthless fools?" he spat. Hieke closed her eyes, not answering. "Fine," the evil man muttered. He turned to Link and Kaze now. "I'd love to stay for a while, but we've found the location of the Staff of Nightmares and I need to go pick it up. I'll see you when the world is under Lord Kuro's control!" he waved as the black mist began to swirl around him.

Hieke touched his cloak and a brief flash brightened the room, but only for a moment. Wythe stared at her in shock. "Wretched girl," he snarled as the fog cleared away. Slowly the room was illuminated by faint stars glowing at the ceiling. Wythe smacked Hieke's pale face, knocking her to the floor. "Well, it seems my dear little friend doesn't wish for me to go. She's cast a binding spell on this room. No one can leave until she lifts the spell."

"I feel helpless!" James complained as he paced around the courtyard. Navi was sulking in a corner, Malon sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, and Zelda rested against the wall, gazing at the foreboding sky. "We all feel that way," the queen said quietly.

"Why don't we do something, anything?" Malon suggested. "We can look for the Staff of Dreams! We can find a way to counter Kuro's mind trick! Anything is better than sitting here waiting for them to come back. Anything is better than guessing at their fate…"

"Link will be fine," Navi interjected. "Kaze will be all right too, because he's a strong warrior. Hieke… I don't know about her. Who's side is she on anyway?" The four glanced at each other. No one but Link and Kaze really knew her well enough to make that call. "We just have to believe in them," Zelda stated firmly.

James shot his slingshot into the air and caught the pellet when it fell. "I best believe something when I see it for myself," he murmured.

"Link! Hero of Time! Perhaps I should take your soul as well!" Wythe laughed. Link held both his sword and shield at once for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. "You'll have to fight me for that," he sneered. Kaze drew out his weapon as well. "Me too, pal. Sorry, but we're not gonna make it easy on ya!"

Wythe's vicious grin became a smug scowl. He looked at Hieke. "Won't you please fetch my weapon for me, dear?" he asked sweetly. The Spirit shook her head. "No. If you want your swords, get them yourself," she stated, her voice still devoid of emotion. Wythe's scowl only deepened at this. "You'll regret that, you wretch," he muttered.

He turned and strode towards a podium, behind which was a rack of swords. "Oh my, I almost forgot. I can't use my weapons in this form!" he smiled maliciously. "Now listen, dear. I'm giving you this one last chance to redeem yourself. Go and get my amulet, will you?" he commanded. Hieke's shoulders stiffened, then held her hands above her head. A black light shined at her palms, and from it appeared an onyx medallion. She tossed the trinket to Wythe and sat down against the wall.

Wythe seemed to absorb the amulet into his body. He underwent a hideous transformation, one that Link and Kaze turned away from in disgust. Hieke had a vacant stare across her face and gazed through everything, so she didn't seem to care how horrendous the metamorphosis was. When Wythe had finished, the frail man with the tuft of gray hair and the black robes had been replaced a massive, monstrous beast with eight arms and a sword in each of his clawed hands.

"You won't be able to move easily in that form with my binding spell in place; you're too big," Hieke murmured absently. "Silence, girl!" Wythe growled. "Link! Kaze! We fight now!"

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DundunDUN. And so the epic battle against Wythe begins! Who will win? Well, Link's team, duh. They're the good guys! But some cool stuff's gonna go down in the mean time! Stay tuned and FIVE, darnit! You heard me! I want five! Yo, Cheese and Evil! Come on, guys! Where are ya?


	11. Fight!

Reviews for this story first, then for my new one!

Dragon-Charmer16: Yah, I did my best. Good to know my efforts paid off! And the picture of the winged girl, I'm not gonna tell you straight up in case someone's, like, skipping around and not paying attention to previous chapters, so I'll _hint_ at it. Think about Chapter 9, look at the bangs, look at the hair length. If that doesn't give it away, I'm pretty sure the third paragraph of this chapter will make it all too obvious. And there's something special about Hieke's indecisiveness. But there's no way I'm saying what it is!

JMG: A little short on words, JMG? Hey, a review is a review. I don't care who it's coming from or what it says!

Fire god101: It's gonna get cooler! …more cool? No, I'm pretty sure it's cooler.

And then we have the four reviews for my new story "The Legend of Advertisement!" which was created so I would get more reveiws and not have to fight you people so I can update!

Gina: You think so? It was okay, I suppose. A quick and crude attempt at humor. The thing took about fifteen minutes to write. I swear that's what Mr. Owl says: "Two-hoo!" I just saw that commercial the other day!

JMG: Any humor/pardoy out of me is _definitely_ not going to be normal.

Natiana: Honestly, it really is 326. My brother got the same thing!

Zora-man: Eh, sorry. That story's not gonna get any love until this one is finished. But it _will_ be continued (as soon as I find some more commercials to make fun of… -malicious grin-)

That does it for replies! Now for the part you've all been waiting for: THE STORY!

**Chapter 11: Fight!**

The giant spewed a blast of dark flame at Kaze. Link blocked it with his shield and lunged at Wythe, slashing at the beast's massive arms. "You'll never defeat him like that," Hieke warned.

"You seem to know a lot!" Kaze snapped. "How about helping us out a little!"

Hieke stood. "Very well," she said, revealing her Celestial wings. Her once gorgeous golden wings were now black and gloomy. "In what manner do you require my assistance?"

Link had an idea. "Do you know where your soul is?" he asked, dodging another blast of flame. Hieke nodded. "Good," Link smiled. "Hieke! Go and find your soul!"

"I cannot do that, Link," she protested. She leapt into the air, hovering for a bit, then came down upon Wythe with a burst of dark Celestial magic. He roared in pain and swatted Hieke away like a fly with his swords. She collided with the wall and got up soon after, despite the agony throbbing throughout her body. Link thought he saw the golden flame of determination spark in her eyes for the briefest moment.

"I'm sorry, Link, but the soul has already been delivered to Kuro," she stated, wiping a trail of blood from her mouth. Kaze laughed, forgetting the battle for a minute. Whatever spell Hieke was under, it was weakening. She hadn't called him 'Lord Kuro' as she did every other time. Then, wonders never cease, a smile caressed her lips!

"But we can defeat Wythe without it, can we not?" she said as she lunged for the creature again. Kaze joined in her attack, charging and thrusting his sword into Wythe's torso. Link completed the combo with a jump attack that amputated one of his many arms.

"Again!" the hero ordered, and they repeated the strategy, taking out another of Wythe's arms. He was left with six, each with a sword in its hand. "Insolent girl!" he roared, slicing at Hieke and making a cut across her stomach. Kaze winced, remembering his battle with his dark self. "I know how that feels," he sympathized. But Hieke rose again, and this time the blaze of resolution in her cold amber eyes was unmistakable.

Wythe moved to attack Kaze, who was too concerned with Hieke to notice the beast behind him. "Kaze!" Hieke warned. "Behind you!" The thief turned around a moment too late as Wythe raised a sword, grinning devilishly. Link quickly made his assault, removing yet another arm his foe's body.

"Wythe! Your time is up!" Hieke shouted as a golden color flushed into her dark wings. The monster that was their opponent bellowed in blind rage and started swinging his swords about wildly. It was no problem to dodge the unrefined blows. Kaze managed to relieve Wythe of another of his arms, so he was left with only four.

Hieke grabbed two of the swords from the floor and held them in front of her like a cross. She charged the blades with Celestial magic and attacked Wythe again. He blocked the oncoming assaults, but had trouble also fending off the swords of Kaze and Link.

"What is the meaning of this!" Kuro demanded. He held a crystal bottle in his hand, and within that bottle was the little star that was Hieke's soul. But the star was very dim, as if it was escaping its prison and returning to its home.

"I'll strengthen the binds on this bottle. I will _not_ allow this asset to escape me!" he grumbled as he cast a shield of white magic around the crystal. The glow returned to the star and the bottle radiated with starry light again.

At that moment Drakar entered the chamber and bowed before Kuro. "My lord, would you entrust the soul of the girl to me?" he asked, still crouched on the stone floor. Kuro raised an eyebrow at this. "What for, servant?" he inquired suspiciously, tossing the bottle in his hand.

"Every moment you hold the soul of another, you're heart becomes tainted," Drakar explained. "You know as well as I do that the Staff works best in the hands of a pure heart. However, if you'd rather hold the Staff of Nightmares, a considerably weaker weapon…"

"I get your point," Kuro snarled. "Let me strengthen the shield once more so that girl can't reclaim her soul… She's trying to that, you know." As he reinforced his barrier on the bottle, the star inside glowed brighter than ever.

Hieke jumped back and leaned against the wall. "Kuro… leave me," she muttered, with her hand to her head. Link paused for a brief moment when he saw how his friend was behaving. "Hieke, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly, but he was attacked by Wythe before given a chance to receive his answer. The ochroid wings began to pale and fade to ebony again. She whimpered in pain, her eyes shut tightly.

Kaze ran to her side, no longer caring about Wythe. "Hieke! Please don't go back to being that marionette…!" he begged, his hands on her shoulders. The girl looked up with a sad smile, the light fading from her eyes. "I failed… to recapture my soul… Kaze, it's up to you and Link…" The thief threw his arms around her and sobbed quietly as the vigor was drained from Hieke's being.

"K-Kaze!" Link shouted, slightly envious of his thief friend. "Come on! Don't just leave me with this monster!" He evaded two more sword slashes and whipped out his Din's Fire. "Link! Wait! Hieke and I will be hit too!" Kaze reminded, eyes wide.

"Don't worry, Kaze," Hieke murmured. She moved her hand just slightly and a veil of stars appeared around them. The blast of fire didn't touch either of them, but Wythe was covered in charred flesh.

"FOOLS!" he thundered. When Hieke opened her eyes again, they were once again stripped of all feeling. "Mister Wythe… I am sorry to say, but you have been defeated," she said. Kaze helped her to her feet and she hid her wings away. Wythe's body began to dissolve into a mist. "He's escaping!" Link shouted. Hieke shook her head. "I haven't lifted the binding. He is dying, not leaving," she explained.

"Girl!" Wythe hissed with the last of his strength. "Come here… now!"

Hieke crouched before the beast of a man and tilted her head to a side. "How can I help you, Mister Wythe?" she asked innocently. He grabbed her shirt collar with one of his remaining arms and hauled her near. "You are _not_ free… Lord Kuro will punish you harshly for your actions," he growled, then released her as the last of life seeped away from him. His body relaxed with a groan. There was a long bit of silence.

"All right! One bad guy down, three to go!" Kaze cheered. Link put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. "I'm sure it'll only get more difficult from here on out," he stated grimly. Kaze glared at his friend. "Who asked you, you pessimist?" he spat. Link rolled his eyes and approached Hieke.

"Will you release the binding on the room so we can leave?" he asked quietly. Hieke turned to him and didn't say a word, but touched the floor. The stars that illuminated the room faded away, leaving it in complete darkness again. "Master Drakar is further up in the castle," Hieke said as she pulled the doors open and left. "But you shouldn't go there now. If you thought Wythe was tough, you won't last a minute against Master Drakar."

Link and Kaze looked at each other while Hieke stood in front of the door, holding it open for them. "Let's come back later," Link suggested. "We have to tell Zelda and the others that we're all right."

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Whoo! Okay, next chapter is a slow one, but it's very endearing nonetheless. I'm sure you'll like it. Well, I'm relatively confident you'll like. If you don't like it, you can't sue me! HAH! Well, yeah… Okay, five reviews! This might be a good time to mention that reviews for _any_ of my other stories will count towards this one. "The Legend of Advertisement!" was written so I could more easily get reviews. People are more likely to read about Tootsie Pops than OCs, right? REVIEW TIME! Press the light indigo, somewhat periwinkle, button down there that says "GO!" and write me a review!


	12. Sky

Lucky devils, aintcha? Why? Because I forgot to ask specifically for five reviews and, thusly, cannot hold you liable for only getting three. Let's reply!

Numdenu: (Legend of Advertisement) Funny, eh? I like yours too and eagerly await the next chapter!

JMG: Still nothing to say? Well, jeeeeeeez. You can just rant, y'know? Ranting is ocassionally humorous, if you do it right.

Dragon-Charmer16: You're in school, aren't you? I can tell because your review came late and it was kinda short. No worries; a review is a review. I think you'll like the next chapter. I think _everyone_ will like the next chapter! Muahahahahahhahaha!

That does it for my (three) review replies. School being imminent and all, I think I'll drop the five review policy. Reviews aren't everything, right? Note: Got some help on this chapter from a great friend o' mine. See the ending authoress rant for more info.

Let's get this chapter started!

**Chapter 12: Sky**

Hieke paused in the center of the Sacred Ground. "Belong," she whispered, her eyes closed. Link took her hand and led her away from the place, towards the castle. Zelda and the others came running from the courtyard to meet them. "Miss Hieke, are you all right?" James asked, tugging gently at the Spirit's robe. Kaze led him away from the girl.

"Link! You're okay! What happened?" Navi asked eagerly. "We killed Wythe," Link reported simply. Hieke sat down against a wall, her cloak folded around her. Kaze sat beside her. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. She didn't seem to acknowledge him. "I know you can hear me," the thief sighed. "Say, Hieke… That song Lea used to sing, the lullaby, do you think you could sing it now?"

Hieke opened her eyes and stared at Kaze. She turned away and began to sing:

"_The sand drifts slowly amongst the stars_

_and settles by the moon_

_Across the Sands of Time they fly_

_To sing to the land their tune._

_The stars shine bright with the Goddesses' light_

_Who dance across the sky_

_They sing to the heavens and to the night_

_Their haunting lullaby_."

Link stared at his friends, momentarily enraptured by the melody, and joined them. "I didn't know that song had lyrics," he smiled. Hieke blinked at him and closed her eyes again. She was like a robot: she would only react if she received a command. Malon noticed the small congregation and chose to join them as well. "What are you doing?" she asked cheerfully.

"Trying to get Hieke back," Kaze muttered sorrowfully, his amethyst eyes downcast. "I am here," the Spirit reminded. Link nodded. "You're here with us physically, but in heart, you could never be further away…"

"I do not understand," Hieke replied. She stared up at the clouded sky. "There's evil brewing," Malon warned with a shiver. Zelda and Navi joined them now. "What are you going to do now, Link?" Navi asked. Link shook his head with a sigh. "Go back to that castle and fight against Drakar, I suppose," he shrugged. "Can you defeat him?" Zelda inquired worriedly.

"Of course we can!" Kaze snapped. "We beat Wythe, didn't we?"

Link looked at Hieke and he closed his eyes, drawing his knees to his chest and resting his chin upon them. _Where is my friend…?_ he asked himself. He felt a hand on his shoulder and expected it to be Zelda's or Malon's, but found in surprise that the hand belonged to none other than Hieke.

"Lord Kuro would expect you to be upset," she stated with the faintest glimmer of a smile. Link smiled and looked back to the sky, which had cleared somewhat. "When this is over, I hope I can just have a break," he sighed. "Saving Hyrule every other month gets awfully tiresome, y'know?"

Zelda nodded. "Fretting over the fate of the world isn't an easy task, either," she added. "Got to constantly check up on the people of the country and make sure they're all right. Often I lay awake at night just worrying about everyone."

"Oh, please!" Kaze scoffed. "Your job is to sit on your royal butt all day and write things down! Link and me do the _real_ fighting. We're the ones that should be lying awake at night if anyone!"

"Guys, my mind is constantly plagued by all kinds of horrendous nightmares of evil and darkness! While I get to sleep, never is it restful!" Malon interjected.

"Link is my best friend!" Navi chirped. "Constantly he throws himself into danger! Time and time again he has nearly been killed! And who do you think worries her little wings off for him?"

"Well, I sit around feeling completely useless!" James argued. "All I can do is sit here and wait for them to come back! How do you think that makes _me_ feel?"

The debate continued for the longest time, until at last someone spoke out. The voice was an empty ghost rustling the trees on an autumn day. "Stop," the meek, emotionless voice demanded. They looked at her, wondering why she had spoken without being spoken to. Hieke's eyes were open and she gazed ahead blankly.

"Link, you are a great hero. You deserve rest. Zelda, your job can at times be stressful. Kaze, you are a fierce warrior and fight many dreadful battles. Malon, your gift for sensing evil comes with a terrible price on your emotionally stability. Navi, you are justified to worry for your friend. James, there is a great deal that you are not included in. You are all correct. There is no use in argument."

The others looked at each other shamefully. They all needed to calm their nerves. To think they were fighting one another instead of Kuro! "Hieke… you have more right to complain than any of us," Link said. "Your very soul has been stripped away from your body. You can barely think for yourself and have lost all emotion…"

"Not so," Hieke objected. "I have my free thought. What do you think I'm doing when I sit down and close my eyes or stare into the distance? I have lost my soul, not my mind. Though if my soul is not soon returned to me, I fear I _may_ lose my mind."

"Hieke!" Kaze exclaimed. "Did you just make a joke? Ha! I never thought I'd hear it from you again! Now can't you give us a heartfelt smile?"

Hieke shook her head. "I'm sorry, but even I have my limits," she replied, slightly regretful. Zelda stood up and clasped her hands together. "Just because your soul is gone doesn't mean you have to walk around in those rags!" she smiled, taking Hieke's hand and leading her into the castle. "Navi! Malon! Come on!" she called. The two followed curiously.

After a long wait, Zelda, Navi, Malon, and Hieke emerged from the castle. It seemed as though the girls had decided Hieke needed a new set of clothes…

She wore a white shirt with silver ribbons and amber gems and a long blue skirt with a hem of cerulean beads. Chains of glass beads hung around her waist. Ivory bracelets rested at her wrists. Her boots were gray with more ribbon tying it tight. Her hair was set in a long ponytail, held in two places: at her head and halfway down its length. Link and Kaze stared for a long while in awestruck silence. "Girls and their wardrobes," James muttered, rolling his eyes.

"She looks much better this way, doesn't she?" Zelda giggled. Link reached into his pocket, then jumped up and stood in front of Hieke. He held out the Moon Pendant and tied it around her neck. "I kept it… from when you disappeared," he smiled. "Now it's back where it belongs."

Hieke gave an expressionless smile. "Thank you, Link," she said. Kaze sat against the wall, tapping his finger against the floor anxiously. _I knew I should have kept it!_ he scolded himself. _Now I don't have a gift for her! Darn you, Link!_

Hieke looked at up at the clearing sky. "Master Drakar… do you want help defeating him?" she asked. Link looked at Kaze, who nodded eagerly. But James seemed to have his own plans for the coming battle.

"I'm coming this time!" the child said forcefully.

"Uh… James, I don't think you understand," Link said, smiling nervously. "Drakar is a really strong man. We're going to fight him."

"I know that!" James shouted. "And I'm gonna help! 'Cause if you're willing to put yourselves in danger, then so am I!" The ex-Bomber took out his slingshot proudly. "That won't do anything!" Kaze smirked. He took out a pair of glossy daggers with jeweled hilts and tossed them to the boy. "Fight with 'em. They're much stronger than that little toy you have."

"Kaze!" Link said in a lecturing voice. "He's just a kid! We can't let him fight Drakar!"

"Were you not but a child yourself when you ventured from your forest home to save Hyrule for the first time?" Hieke reminded. She then shrugged and turned her gaze back to the sky. Link bowed his head with a sigh. James was persistent; he wouldn't be left behind this time if he had anything to say about.

"Fine, you can come along. But take care of yourself, all right?" Link agreed in defeat. James laughed at his victory and twirled his new daggers on his fingers. "I'll be fine!" he promised as he tucked the weapons into his pockets.

"No, no! That's no way to carry them!" Kaze objected as he went to find a belt and holsters for James. Link approached Hieke and looked up to the place she was staring at unmercifully. "What is it?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her body near to his. "Just the sky," Hieke replied simply. "It's big, you know."

Link chuckled softly. "Yeah, it's enormous…"

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I no write-y the song. 'Twas my good friend Ka—er, Mxedcherub. The lyrics _I_ had written sucked horribly badly, so I turned to my musically apt friend, a more than decent (which is code for 'really, really good') minstrel and poetess.

I know, I know. This chapter was BORING, wasn't it? Next chapter will more than make up for it. Oh, next chapter is one of the best in the whole fic. …OH NO! This is chapter twelve and I'm still working on chapter fourteen! -shrieks- No panic, no worries, no, no, no… Okay, the updates MIGHT start coming a little bit later. Or not. Once school starts, I'm bound to have a lot of free time, especially in math class when we learn how to order fractions for the thousandth time. (Note: I'm going into ninth grade. Sad, isn't it?) REVIEWS, PLEASE!


	13. Death

Why is there a second update today, you ask? I'll tell you why: Because this is my favorite chapter of ALL TIME and I've been waiting to get it up ever since it was finished! Two reviews so far, so let's reply to those first!

MOMO1: (Legend of Advertisement) Well, yah, basically. Ed is me in my most hyper of moments. In my most hyper of moments, I act a bit like Ed. Which is how I get that psuedonym. YAY, DOORS!

Dragon-Charmer16: Okay, first of all, enough apologies! I'm the one at fault here for assuming! Besides, any review is a good review, am I right? I loved the lyrics too. As I said, my friend Mxedcherub is a stupendous poetess and songstress. Sounds like an awesome picture to me! -takes out sketch pad- Yes, this chapter is one of the best EVER! I love it sooooooo much! How's THIS for soon, eh?

Okay, short yes? Yes. This is _the best chapter_ I've written so far. If you don't cry, you're a heartless jerk. And I _do_ realize that this makes me a heartless jerk. But hey, I wrote it. I'm giving myself props for that! READ ON!

**Chapter 13: Death**

"I guess we better get back to that castle," Kaze suggested, stretching. It had been a long and much-needed break, but there was no telling how close Kuro was getting to finding the Staff. They needed to get going and fast.

"You'll never reach it on foot," Hieke warned. "Nor on boat or by flight, however you would manage that. I can take you to the castle, but taking so many will leave me more or less powerless. I won't be of much help in the battle against Master Drakar."

Kaze raised his hand high. "I have a _question_!" he stated enthusiastically, emphasizing the word 'question' for unknown reasons. "Why do you call him 'Master Drakar' while the others are just Mister Wythe and Miss Lilith?"

Hieke tilted her head to a side. "You cannot live without a soul," she replied cryptically. "When a soul is separated from its host, you have a matter of minutes before the host body dies. While I was in that borderline state, Master Drakar kept me alive by infusing me with a bit of his own soul, of his own decision at that. In a sense, I'm borrowing his soul until I can get mine back. _If_ I can get mine back."

"That's why your wings are black now!" Malon concluded. Hieke nodded.

"Shall we go?" she asked, turning to Link, Kaze, and James. The three boys voiced their assent and stood near to Hieke. She spread her arms about her and an orb of dark Celestial magic formed around them. In a brief flash of light they disappeared.

"Okay, where is the jerk?" Kaze inquired, looking around. They were in a stone hallway adorned with ornate carpets and golden torches. Hieke gestured towards a staircase and began to ascend. "Master Drakar is at the top of the castle," she explained. They passed several stained-glass windows depicting images of the star-strewn heavens shining over the barren, ravaged plains of Hyrule. The place reminded Link of Ganon's castle.

They eventually came upon a large wooden door with a golden frame. "Master Drakar?" Hieke said, knocking on the door. It swung open and the small entourage entered the dimly lit chamber.

"Look!" James exclaimed, running forward a few steps. He pointed at a crystal sphere floating on the other side of the room. Within it was a glowing star… From the shadows came a tall, slender, winged figure. The great sable wings were spread wide. He wore a scarf of gray fabric that covered most of his face. His hair was black and hid his eyes. He held out a tightly bandaged hand and Hieke walked over to him.

"Welcome back, little one," he said in a voice like a million needles of ice. "As you can see, I managed to convince Lord Kuro to place your soul in my captivity. Would you like it back?" he asked, crouching down to Hieke's level. She nodded.

"I'm sorry, dear sister, but you'll have to defeat me in battle first."

"Wait, _sister_?" Kaze repeated. He was reminded of Mystus. Drakar rose and stared at the three boys with somewhat gentle eyes. "Well, not in blood. But she shares my soul. We are siblings in heart, no more than that," he explained. "Listen now. I am not your enemy. I persuaded Lord Kuro to place the soul in my hands knowing that you would come looking to defeat me."

"So you can just give it to us?" Link asked hopefully, wanting to avoid conflict if it was at all possible. Drakar's eyes grew sorrowful. "If only it were so, my friend. I am under a spell constructed by Lord Kuro and cast by Miss Lilith. I am not allowed to die except by the hands of one with good intentions. So you see, if I simply _give_ the soul to you, I will suffer a fate a hundred times worse than death at the hands of my lord and master."

"Master, you need not serve him," Hieke interrupted. "He cannot do you any harm. He does not wish to taint his heart. If he should as much as threaten you, his spirit will blacken and wither."

Drakar sighed and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You only want me to stay alive because _I_ want to stay alive and we share a soul. If you were thinking for yourself, you wouldn't think twice about killing me. After all, I am you 'foe'. Am I right?"

Hieke shook her head. "Please, Master Drakar. You can fight Lord Kuro with us, can you not? If you were to return my soul to me and reclaim the whole of your own soul, we could battle against that madman with Link, Kaze, and James," she pleaded. "Hieke," Link called, his eyes dark. "We'll fight Drakar. It's inevitable."

Drakar nodded at the young hero. "You're right. See, little one? He understands. We are not on the same side. We have to fight, regardless of what we want." Hieke bowed her head and sighed. She slowly walked back and stood among the boys.

The winged man pulled his scarf down from his neck and tossed it aside. "Shall we begin?" he suggested with a melancholy smile. He flapped his great wings and ascended into the air. He drew a pair of katana swords from the sheaths on his back. Link and Kaze unsheathed their own weapons and James took a jeweled dagger in either hand. Hieke, weak from transporting the boys, took a few steps back and leaned against the wall.

"I'm afraid I cannot go easy on you," Drakar warned as he swooped past the boys, slashing at James and Kaze with his swords. Link swiped his golden blade at Drakar's wing, but the man soared out of reach at the last minute. James, enraged by the cut on his arm, hurled a shimmering dagger at his enemy. "Take that, angel boy!" he grinned. The blade struck Drakar's arm, and he clenched his teeth in pain. He removed the weapon and tossed it back to James. "That hurt very much, young one," he smiled painfully. He clutched at the injury on his arm.

"Master Drakar!" Hieke exclaimed. The winged man shook his head. "I must die… You have to understand that, little one," he nodded. Hieke sighed and sat down on the floor, her knees to her chest and her face buried in her hands. _No doubt she feels the pain he does_, Link mused in sympathy. "Drakar! For the sake of Hieke, let's just end this!" he shouted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the dark man said remorsefully. "You must kill me." He descended until his feet touched the stone floor. He threw aside his katana and spread his arms. "This makes it easier, yes? I'm afraid only the little one has the power to slay me in this manner. You boys get her soul. When I die, my soul will leave her body. You'll have less than two minutes to transfer her soul back to her."

Hieke looked up, her pale face streaked with tears. "Master, I will not kill you!" she said, jumping to her feet. Drakar smiled. "Come here, little one," he said softly. The Spirit walked forward until she stood before her spiritual brother. The man folded his arms around her in an embrace. "Do you know why I saved you?" he asked. Hieke shook her head solemnly. "You are young and have much to live for. And you reminded me so much of my little sister… until Kuro killed her. Do me this, little one: do not let that lunatic succeed."

The Celestial Spirit nodded slowly. Her hands glowed with dark Celestial magic, and in an instant Drakar fell. A black light escaped Hieke's body and she collapsed, breathing heavily.

"Hurry!" Link ordered as fumbled around for something to get the crystal down with. James took out his slingshot, which he had brought thinking it might come in handy, and handed it to Link. The hero swiftly took the toy and aimed. In two shots he was able to bring down the bottle.

Kaze crouched beside Hieke, taking her in his arms. Her eyes were closed and her breath was shallow. "Link, hurry up!" he called urgently. The green-clad forest boy had the shielded crystal in his hands and repeatedly beat it against the stone floor. Hieke breathed her last as the bottle shattered and the star escaped. It hovered above the girl, sinking into her flesh.

But they were too late. Hieke was dead…

"We couldn't… How could this…?" Kaze sobbed. James bowed his head and Link… Link didn't move, the expression of determined urgency still on his face. As he came to his senses, he walked forward and took the limp body from his friend's arms. Tears welled in his eyes and his shoulders trembled. He gazed upon the still face, so young and beautiful. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. When he drew away, Hieke's eyes were open and a weak smile was on her lips.

In surprise he threw her to the ground. "Zombie!" he shouted, whipping out his sword and pointing it at Hieke's throat. "What the hell is wrong with you!" the Spirit shouted, jumping up and rubbing her sore back. "A girl dies and you throw her on the floor? The _stone_ floor? Are you some kind of schizoid!"

Link stared in shock and sheathed his sword. "You're really alive?" he whispered. Hieke rolled her eyes. "Duh, what does it look like?" she scoffed, but there was a smile on her face. Kaze lunged at her, tumbling to the ground. "I thought you were dead!" he laughed. Hieke pushed the energetic boy away from her. "I missed you too, Kaze," she giggled.

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-holds out box of Kleenex- Need this? I don't. But I'm a heartless jerk! OMIGAAAAWWWD! I just remembered that Chapter 14 isn't done yet! -runs away in blind panic-

-comes back- Don't forget to review! -runs away screaming-


	14. Devastation

REPLIES! The best part of waking up is reviews in your mailbox!

Dragon-Charmer16: I finished with fourteen right on time, but I haven't even started Chapter 15, not even the chapter title! Luckily, I know exactly what's going to happen. (sigh) I knew I should have been writing the next chapter instead of writing the final battle… But I will continue to meet my deadlines, no matter how pressing they become!

Harrypotterfan: (The Legend of Advertisement) Heh, you don't wanna know… A combination of sugar high and sleep deprivation: the fatal combo. BEWARE!

Blondie91: (For the Sake of the World) Well, jeez… I'm glad people like it, even more glad that people are reviewing it! Read it whenever you have the chance; no pressure is my policy! Actually I have several policies, but we won't go into that now…

JMG: Yes, there are many color pictures on the way. I've got one that was done in tablet and I have the downloads section coming soon. And rant is when you go on and on about nothing in particular.

MOMO1: (A Doll Upon Evil's Shelf) "Go to the Gerudo Fortress and convince all the girls that Tingle is one hot, sexy testosterone driven hunk of burning love! Kooloo Limpah!" Like that, you mean? Yeah, Tingle sure is a character… A weeeeeiiiiiirrrrrd character. Nintendo says this about Tingle: "See kids? This is why you don't do drugs!" By the way, I have _got_ to get around to reading your Tales of Symphonia stories. If any of them are half as good as "Mushroom Quest" they're certainly worth my time!

Whoo hoo for reviews! Didn't even ask for my five but I got five nonetheless! Your reward? The next chapter! WHEEEE!

**Chapter 14: Devastation**

The journey back to the castle was a great deal more cheerful with Hieke back to her old self. They stopped in the Sacred Ground where they found Zelda, Malon, and Navi waiting for them. Hieke paused when she saw Zelda, remembering her last experience with the girl in which she tried to gnaw Hieke's hand off. Link pushed her forward, so she obliged.

"Hello, all!" Hieke laughed, thrusting her arms into the air. Malon raised an eyebrow. "Well, aren't you energetic?" she noticed, taking a few steps back. Hieke giggled, then her eyes fell upon Navi. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, leaping for the little fairy. "So _cute_!" She chased Link's fairy companion around the Sacred Ground a dozen times or so.

"Did Hieke get stupider?" Kaze whispered warily to Link. The hero chuckled nervously and grabbed his running friend's hand. "Calm down, Hieke," he smiled. The girl grinned happily and stood beside Link as he spoke to Zelda.

"It seems you've retrieved Hieke's soul," Zelda commented. She smiled at the Spirit, but the twitch in her left eye was unmistakable. Hieke giggled to herself and hugged Link's arm, just out of spite. Zelda cleared her throat and turned around. "Well, what do we do now, Link?" she asked.

Link turned to Hieke, who thought for a moment. "We oughta kill Lilith next!" she smiled. "Do you know where she is?"

Malon whimpered slightly, remembering how Lilith said she was taking her Grand Moblins to Lon Lon Ranch so they could eat the cows, cuccos, and her father. Link remembered this as well. "Let's go to the ranch," he said, turning to his redheaded friend. "Do you want to come? It _is_ your home," he offered. Malon nodded vigorously.

So all but Zelda headed off towards the ranch. When they reached their destination, Malon stared in shock at the scene before her. Not a living creature remained. The houses were demolished. The ground was upturned. Fires still burned every here and there. Malon sobbed into her hands and fell to her knees. James patted her shoulder and whispered comforting words to her. Hieke looked around with grim eyes.

"It'll take them forever to repair all this," she observed. "Repairs!" Malon shrieked. "My father is dead! Mr. Ingo is dead! The animals are all dead! How can you even _think_ about repairs?"

Hieke shook her head. "No, see, I hung out with Wythe for quite a while. The Staff of Dreams can resurrect the dead if handled by someone with great power. With my Celestial power, I'll bring back everyone killed by this ordeal," she promised. "Does that mean you can bring Saria back?" Link asked hopefully. Hieke nodded, smiling.

"Look at this," James said, picking up a slip of paper from the rubble of the farmhouse. "Death Mountain is next," he read. Link took the note from his friend's hand and studied it. "Malon, why don't you stay here and see if you can't find any of the other animals?" he suggested. The girl nodded, biting her lip. "If Malon's staying, I'm staying too," James announced, his hand on Malon's shoulder.

"So be it," Link muttered as he turned and headed for Death Mountain. Hieke hurried ahead of him. "Wait, Link!" she beckoned, spreading her arms and refusing him further passage. "She's probably already been to the mountain. Let's check Zora Domain instead." Kaze nodded in agreement. "There's no telling how long ago Lilith was here. It looks like she's covering her bases. Forest, field, mountain… Zora Domain is definitely next!" he added.

So they instead headed for the majestic Zora Domain in hopes to head off Lilith. "Stop!" Hieke commanded as they neared the entrance. "Don't you feel it? Something's in the air. It gives me the creeps. Let's be careful…"

As they crept along the riverbanks, they heard thunderous footsteps approaching. "Come on, you slugs!" a familiarly cold voice demanded harshly. "We don't have all day! There's no telling when those brats will show up! And Drakar has fallen… That means the little tramp has her soul back! She'll decimate us if we run into her!"

Hieke huffed and crossed her arms, revealing her golden-feathered wings. "Let's just see who's no more than a little tramp," she muttered, stepping out into the path. The four Grand Moblins, headed by Lilith, appeared from around the bend. The black-haired woman gaped, then a smug grin crossed her face. "Speak of the devil," she said casually, tossing her hair and glaring at Hieke.

"Long time no see, _Miss_ Lilith," the Spirit said, her arms still folded before her. "How do you like my Grand Moblins?" the beast-maker asked as she gestured to her growling creations. "Petty," Hieke spat. She tore the pendant from her neck and clasped it in her hands, then tossed it into the air.

"By the moon and stars, give new form to this item!" she called. A soft glow enveloped the Moon Pendant and it became her favorite weapon, the sword she used on several occasions such as the time she fought the Poes in the Forest Temple. "Hello, old friend," she said to the glistening blade. Her eyes returned to Lilith. "Hey boys, you gonna give me a hand here or leave a little girl to decide her own fate?" she called over her shoulder. Kaze and Link came out of the bushes they had been hidden behind and drew their weapons.

"Juvenile," Lilith shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Grand Moblins, take out the girl first. She's our greatest threat." Hieke planted her feet firmly on the ground, resolution glowing in her eyes. The Grand Moblins raised and lowered their spears, ready to attack. Lilith leaped up to a nearby cliff and her creations charged, poisoned lances aimed for Hieke's heart.

Link brought his sword down on one of the spears, snapping it in two. Hieke easily dodged the remaining attacks. "You're weak!" Lilith laughed from her porch. "If that's all you've got, Lord Kuro will defeat you in an instant. Heh, pathetic!" Her banter was cut short as Kaze slashed at her. "Who's pathetic now, woman?" he spat, readying himself for another attack.

Hieke ensnared two Grand Moblins in a net of Celestial magic. Link disarmed one of the others and danced around the spear of the one left. _I've never felt this strong before_, he mused as he nimbly evaded thrust after lethal thrust of the Moblin's spear. _It has to be Hieke's power strengthening me! The only other time I've felt such a strong sense of determination was when I was fighting alongside Hieke to seal Ganondorf away._

"Link, snap out of it!" Hieke called as she felled a Grand Moblin. Navi, who had been hiding inside Link's hat as usual, came out to aide in the fight. "Link! Target its big toe!" she urged. Link stopped and stared skeptically at the fairy. "What kind of weak spot is that?" he inquired.

"It's like stubbing your toe!" Hieke giggled, shooting a quick blast at the other trapped Moblin's foot. The beast roared in agony and fell backwards, rolling back and forth and holding its injured toe. The bellows almost sounded like it was crying, "Mommy! Mommy!" Link chuckled, shaking his head, and stabbed his sword through the toe of his enemy. This Moblin behaved in a manner similar to that the other one.

With the Grand Moblins incapacitated, Link and Hieke turned their attention to Lilith. The black-haired woman was matching Kaze's moves easily. "She's fast, guys!" the thief warned, taking on the defensive as Lilith began a barrage of relentless attacks with a bladed staff. She swept the weapon at his feet and succeeded in knocking him from the cliff. "Who's next?" the woman asked with a sweet grin.

Hieke gracefully bounded up to take Kaze's place. "Will I suffice?" she inquired dryly. Lilith smiled and began attacking with the same methods she used on Kaze.

"Ooh, cat fight," Link winced.

"Heh, looks like it," Kaze smirked as he took out a package of popcorn. A few moments passed of the thief chewing popcorn loudly.

"Are you going to share that?" Link asked in irritation.

Lilith sliced a clean wound across one of Hieke's wings. The Spirit descended immediately with a smile on her lips. "Looks like I'm—"

"Say it and I'll kill you!" Kaze threatened, throwing his popcorn to the ground much to Link's discontent. Hieke rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh and pulled out her Gerudo broadsword. "I prefer the blade to magic anyway," she giggled. Lilith grinned smugly and began slashing and thrusting with her bladed staff again. Hieke danced from side to side, dodging every blow. Soon she tripped on her feet.

"There!" Lilith laughed triumphantly as she seized Hieke by her hair. The girl winced slightly. Link and Kaze moved to help her, but she protested.

"That's what she wants," she explained as she positioned her blade above her head. "I can handle myself!" The blade came down, leaving Lilith with no more than a fistful of blonde hair. Hieke skipped backwards, her golden hair shoulder-length.

"I'm not letting you get away with that," she said menacingly. "It took years to grow out that long. A head for a hair sounds like a fair trade, yes?"

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Hieke got a haircut! X3 I guess that means I need to draw a picture of Hieke with her short hair. This time I'm going for tablet! And _that_ means color! Then I need to write Chapter 15… I have deadlines to keep up with. See guys? This is why you don't set deadlines for yourself. You get all fluster-fied and whatnot. Well, I'm sure the next chapter will be finished sooner if I get a little encouragement. (wink, wink)


	15. Destination

I _always_ make my deadlines! Once a day, right? -nod- I said once a day, and I meant once a day. Besides, I spent all day finishing up the update on my website! New pictures are in, as well as a new section. First, the order of review replies.

Dragon-Charmer16: Yup, DA PRINCESS IS BACK! And the humor returned because after Hieke's revival, it seemed a bit more cheerful to me. Now that it's more cheeful, we can reintegrate some of the comedy, yes? And the subject line of your second mail sounds like me talking about Little Link! It's a good thing I got some requests quick; I couldn't think of anything to draw today!

Da Marshmallow: (For the Sake of the World) You're the sister of Blondie91, are you not? Glad you like it and I hope to see more reviews from you soon! N-not to pressure you! Gawd, not to pressure you! I _never_ pressure my readers!

Angel-kun: (For the Sake of the World) Well, oji-san, why do you not review more if you like it so, huh? I love reviews more than life itself!

Kathlene's friend: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Pointlessness, yup. Pointlessness is the sister of humor, and humor is the cousin of goodness! And I'd like to read your work, too. Where can I find it?

Ayla of the Mountains: (The Legend of Advertisement!) I'm glad you enjoy it. And I like your take on "that's the way the cookie crumbles"; far more entertaining! I'm sure if I had written that in sixth grade, it wouldn't be so good… It's not all the great now, just random. Hey, thanks for reviewing! Now if only we could convince my brother to review as well. (eyes Brother suspiciously)

Kitty29: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Random is good, and stupid is funny! Mm, cheese… Yay! I feel appreciated!

JMG: I'm pretty good with the melancholy, aren't I? Melancholy and random humor, those are my specialties. A wise person once said: Anyone can write something, but to be able to write something that affects the reader is a true gift. I have no idea who said that.

JGM: Yup, more colored pictures. Got requests for colored pictures, so that's what's coming.

Soloma-Kiwi: (The Legend of Advertisement) Aww! I wanna take a computer to my grave! A laptop would give me considerably more leg-room though… Hmm. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Make just one person's life a little brighter, if only for a moment, and you've done a good thing!

Blondie91: (For the Sake of the World) XP Ya like it, huh? I feel happy now. n.n It's always a good thing to have my fic recommended! Recommendation and reviews both start with the same two letters! WHEEEE!

Blondie91: Well I should hope so, after all that work… I had the _worst_ case of Writers' Block before I got the sequel started, so I'm glad the opening turned out okay.

Yay! So many reviews! I'm so happy! It seems like "The Legend of Advertisment!" is getting more love than this story, despite the massive quantity of reviews on the original. Tomorrow morning I suppose I'll update that, and update this is the evening. (Keep in mind that I'm on Eastern Standard time, 'kay?) Without furhter ado, here's Chapter 15! …finally.

**Chapter 15: Destination**

As Link and Kaze fought off the hordes of cuccos that had gathered around them to devour the fallen popcorn, Hieke was engaged in fierce combat with Lilith. "You're awfully strong," the black-haired woman remarked as she stabbed repeatedly at her opponent. "It's a shame you're on the wrong side."

Hieke smirked at this. "I was just thinking the same thing about you." She easily parried the bladed staff and shifted to an offensive tactic, driving Lilith back towards the cliff's edge.

"You need some help there?" Link called as he wriggled free of the astounding mass of cuccos clamored at his feet. "Uh, sure! Come on up!" the Spirit replied, back-flipping to avoid the sharp staff coming at her. Link joined her shortly. Kaze, however, was still chin-deep in ravenous cuccos. Then the author realized the irony in the previous sentence and revised it to say, "Kaze, however, was still chin-deep in voracious cuccos."

"Link! Where are you going!" the thief cried as he struggled to stay above the feathery mob. Link looked back with an apologetic smile. "Hey, Hieke needs me. You're welcome to help," he chuckled as he fitted himself with the Fairy Bow and a fire arrow. He launched the projectile at Lilith, but his aim was slightly off and flew past her head without as much as scathing her.

"Impudent boy!" the woman scowled, ignoring Kaze's cries for help as he slowly sank deeper beneath the sea of poultry. Hieke saw her opening and performed an elegant vertical strike. Lilith jumped back when she realized she was being attacked, but Hieke's sword caught her on the arm. Blood dripped from the wound, staining the grass crimson. "You will pay for that," Lilith muttered fiercely. The Spirit giggled and readied her blade for another assault.

There was a bright flash from below and the cuccos cleared away, many of them aflame. Kaze stood there, a circle of ashes around him and a sphere of fire glowing in his hand. "Didn't wanna hafta use my power, but oh well," he grinned. Lilith was now surrounded; Link, Hieke, and Kaze stood around her with weapons ready. So the woman used the last tool she had at her disposal: femininity.

"Oh, _please_ be gentle!" she cried, burying her face in her hands and sobbing. "I didn't want to work for Kuro, but he forced me!" Her weeping grew louder and her enemies looked at each other, expressions of disbelief on their faces. "If that's so, why did you kill Saria?" Link demanded fiercely. "And the other Kokiri? And the Gorons? And everyone at Lon Lon Ranch? And you're headed here to kill the Zoras!"

Lilith stopped her wailing and cleared her throat nervously. "Actually, I was just leaving from killing the Zora people off… but that's beside the point! I can tell you how to defeat Kuro! I'll even tell you where the Staff of Dreams is! Just please don't kill me!" she begged. Link sighed in exasperation. "Fine, just _shut up_, will ya?" he said. Lilith beamed in gratitude.

"Wythe told us all where the Staff of Dreams is hidden as soon as he decoded the tome he stole from Hyrule Castle. Do you know of the enormous statue hidden within the Spirit Temple of the Desert Colossus?" she asked, tears still in her eyes. Link nodded impatiently. "Well," Lilith continued, "if you've seen it, you know that there's a large stone jewel at the statue's throat. The Staff is inside that jewel!"

Kaze and Hieke looked at each other in skepticism. It looked as though Lilith was telling the truth, but how could they really trust her? Link seemed to believe her fairly enough, for he thanked her and turned to leave. Hieke gave her foe one last distrustful glance, then followed Link.

"Fools!" Lilith laughed as she lunged with her staff. There was no time to dodge or block. "Did you really think I would let you escape with that knowle—"

Her words were cut short by a strangled gasp, and she fell to the ground. Kaze stood behind her, bloody sword in hand. "You guys are stupid to turn your back on our enemy!" he chuckled as he wiped his blade clean on the grass and moved to join his friends. Link shrugged and continued walking. It seemed as though he was still headed for Zora's Domain.

"Why are we going there?" Hieke asked. "After all, Lilith said herself that all the Zoras were dead." Her query was replied to with the logic that maybe, just maybe, one or two of the aquatic people survived. When they reached the once majestic and beautiful city of the Zoras, they were met with a scene of horror. The crystal-clear waters ran thick with blood and the bodies of dead Zora men and women littered the ground. Throughout the place echoed the sound of gentle sobbing. They knew that someone was still alive.

Following the sound, they gradually made their way to the throne room, where they found none other than Princess Ruto weeping over her dead father. When she heard footsteps, she whipped around. Her face instantly brightened.

"Linky! Kazey!" she squealed, lunging at the two boys. "Hi, Ruto," Link managed to greet through his assailant's death grip. "You recovered awfully quickly."

The little fish princess gasped and turned around. "It's horrible. A wicked woman with hideously greasy hair and _way_ too much make-up came here with four lumbering monsters and killed all the Zoras… Some of them, she actually fed to her beasts! I was sickened and afraid, so I hid under Jabu-Jabu's fin until I was sure they had left. When I came out, my father was dead and chewed on, and there wasn't another creature alive throughout all of Zora's Doman…"

Link sighed deeply and placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Chill out, Ruto," he said, regretting the command as images of the frozen Zora's Domain came to him. "We killed Lilith and her Grand Moblins. I know that won't bring everyone back to life, but…"

"The Staff of Dreams!" Hieke randomly exclaimed. Ruto glared at her, narrowing her eyes. "I thought you turned into a hunk of wood," she accused and she grabbed Link's arm. Hieke huffed and folded her arms. "I did, but I came back," she explained with a sideways glance. Kaze chuckled nervously, shaking his head. "Come on, ladies. Let's asked civilized," he suggested. The bickering girls turned their backs on each other and huffed.

"Like I was saying," Hieke continued, "if I combine my power, the power of the Spirit of the Celestials, with that of the Staff of Dreams, I can probably resurrect everyone who's died!" Link drew a sharp breath. "You can bring back Saria?" he asked eagerly.

"You can bring back my father?"

"You can bring back all of them?"

Hieke nodded. "But first we have to get to the Staff of Dreams. And we have to beat Kuro to it!" Link took a deep breath and set his gaze firmly on Ruto. "You stay here, understand?" he commanded. "Do _not_ follow us." The princess nodded timidly. She was used to Link being more friendly and carefree around her, save for the time he and Kaze teased her by threatening to take her life. She wasn't used to him being so demanding and it frightened her a little.

Link turned towards the exit and beckoned Hieke and Kaze follow. Next stop was the Gerudo Valley to check up on Kaze's and Hieke's family, then it was off to the Spirit Temple to retrieve the Staff of Dreams.

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All right! Now I go and write the next chapter… Fortunately, I have a few chapters for later on already written. I took a break from chronology to write down the ending before I forgot. Okay, REVIEW NOW! Wheeeee! I'll be waiting! And from now on, updates come in the evening, giving me ample opportunity to write the chapter out!


	16. Nightmare

You know what comes first: review replies!

Dragon-Charmer16: Linky and Kazy… BEST NAMES EVER! Ahem… not really. Lots more pictures coming! ALWAYS more pictures coming!

Natiana: (For the Sake of the World) Like the original? There's a sequel! And this is it! Sorry about any confusion… I'm only fourteen, what do you want? Heh… no excuses, right? I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Kitty29: (The Legend of Advertisement!) XD Cheese! And say hello to the voice in your head for me, 'kay?

JMG: You say so very little… If I didn't know better, I'd think you like the pictures more than the story!

JMG: (The Legend of Advertisement!) I always thought the Gorons looked a bit like poo…

Phew. That section got a lot shorter, didn't it? I wanna know why more people review my newer story than those who reviewed the original and should all be reviewing the sequel. I guess I can expect a big ol' pile of reviews on the last chapter, eh? Well, let's get started!

**Chapter 16: Nightmare**

It wasn't too far from the Zora's Domain to Gerudo Valley. Hieke quickly darted into one of the grottos, a chamber Kaze knew to be Lea's home. He told Link that he was going to visit with Linna and Dikai and would return shortly, leaving the young hero to a leisurely stroll through the fortress. But with so little time left, how could he possibly enjoy his freedom?

Hieke returned fifteen minutes later, a melancholy smile on her face. "Lea and the others are fine," she murmured. Link, however, sensed that all was not well. "What's wrong?" he asked with a hint of urgency to his voice. "What happened that you aren't telling me about?"

The Spirit shook her head. "It seems Kaze and I were missed in our absence. Kuro's been past here on his way to the Temple and gave the Gerudos hell. You know, what with his ability to manipulate minds and all… He showed them all their inner demons, and many of them are still locked in their rooms crying from what they saw," she explained. Link sighed. "Where's Kaze? We need to get going," he said.

As if on cue, the thief came running out from the fortress to join his companions. "We need to hurry!" he said. "Kuro passed here hours ago! He's probably already at the Spirit Temple!"

"I know," Link replied grimly. He took out the little blue ocarina he had carried for so many years and played the Requiem of Spirit, which took them all to the Spirit Temple much faster than Kuro could possibly walk.

Hieke sprinted across the burning sands, calling over her shoulder for Link and Kaze to follow. Inside the Temple, both boys felt a stirring energy radiating from their companion. "Kuro's here," the girl informed, talking a few steps forward. "I can keep him here forever. Much like how I sealed Ganondorf inside the Guardian Tree, I can combine my power with that of the Spirit Temple and seal Kuro within for all eternity."

"No!" Link and Kaze both protested at once. "Last time I wasn't strong enough and you had to sacrifice yourself," the green-clad boy reminded, tears clouding his eyes at the painful memories. "I'm stronger this time! And Kaze's here! We won't let you do it again! We'll drag you out of this damned Temple by your feet if you even mention it again!"

Hieke stared in shock at her friend. Never had she seen him so impassioned about something. "Link," she breathed. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "How could you curse in front of a lady like that!" she scolded loudly. Kaze stifled his laughter as the two bickered. "Okay guys, break it up. We're here to keep Kuro from getting the Staff, remember?" he interrupted. He couldn't believe they had forgotten their cause!

The trio cautiously made their way through the Spirit Temple, avoiding any monsters or traps, until finally they reached the chamber containing the massive stone monument. Kuro was standing in one of the statue's outstretched palms, eyeing the structure contemplatively. He soon noticed his company and turned around with a flourish.

"Why, welcome, friends!" he smiled. He really did look like a good guy. "Stop it, Kuro," Link spat. "Drop the act. Reveal yourself for the monster you are."

Kuro looked hurt at the words. "Comrade, I am no monster. My heart harbors no evil. Why, from the time I was but a small boy, nothing has interested me more than preserving the life of the good and snuffing out the flame of darkness that reigns over the minds of the impure," he explained, recovering his cheerful disposition.

"You use a lot of fancy words," Kaze scoffed. "We all know you're evil. You stole the Guardian Tree."

"Ah, but I recently returned it!" Kuro beamed proudly. "It's exactly where it was before, minus one lovely Celestial Spirit." He turned his grin to Hieke, who snorted in disgust at the man. "Ganon is still inside, still slumbering in his seal. My, aren't alliterations humoring?" Kuro chuckled. Link and his friends were, needless to say, far from amused.

Seeing his comments weren't affecting them in the least, Kuro moved on to a different subject. "Say, would you all mind helping me get that Staff of Dreams out of this statue?" he asked, his smile unwavering. Hieke gasped, Kaze scoffed, and Link snarled in contempt. "What do you _think_ is our answer, Kuro?" he said through clenched teeth. Kuro cocked his head to a side in confusion. Then his face lit up with understanding.

"Oh, I understand!" he chuckled. "You want a turn with it too, don't you? Don't worry; I'll share. I promise!" he vowed, placing a hand across his heart. "Tell us why you want the Staff!" Hieke demanded. Kuro sighed. "Persistent, aren't we?" he mumbled. "I thought I already said. I want to eliminate the corrupt beings from this world. Is that so bad?"

A light shined on the statue from within the amulet at its neck. "Ah, the Staff of Dreams speaks," Kuro murmured. He jumped from the hand to the shoulder and arched his neck to get a better view of the scene. A red light glowed from the stone, making it shimmer like a ruby. Gradually the earth crumbled away until the source of the light was revealed. Kuro's eyes shined with amusement and glee.

The Staff of Dreams was exactly as Zelda had described it: a slender ivory pole, entwined with silver that wrapped around like a vine and with a diamond set at the top. As soon as the last bit of clay fell away, the red light shifted to a bright white radiance. A grin spread on Kuro's face as he reached for his prize.

"No!" the three watching from below called in unison. Their enemy was about to achieve his goal! First Ganon, now this! _I think my hero-ing abilities are growing a bit slack_, Link mused in slight humor. But the closer Kuro's hand grew to the shimmering Staff, the wilder the man's eyes became. His very thoughts echoed through the room; such was the power of the mere presence of the Staff of Dreams.

_"I will rule all… All who remain alive in Hyrule…"_

_"I will destroy all remaining life… They are scum and don't deserve to live…"_

_"I will be a dark and terrible queen! …I mean king! Dark and terrible king!"_

Link, Kaze, and Hieke raised and eyebrow at the last thought, but their assumptions were shattered as, in one fateful moment, Kuro's fingers curled around the Staff of Dreams. Their world came tumbling down upon them. He had won…

But something was happening. The gentle white light the Staff shined with erupted in a flash of dark light. The glow filled the entire chamber, leaving them all in impenetrable darkness. Through the veil of shadow, Link and his friends were able to make out the shape of Kuro holding the Staff of Dreams, his short, sable hair whipping about his face like he was standing in the middle of a gale. Slowly the ivory flushed over and became ebony. The silver curves turned to gold. And the gorgeous diamond flicked with black light and became a cold onyx.

The Staff of Dreams was no more. Kuro's heart was corrupt. He now held the Staff of Nightmares.

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Badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger badger MUSHROOM MUSHROOM!

Review please! n.n


	17. Castle

This is kinda a long chapter, so let's make it longer with REVIEW REPLIES!

JMG: Heh, nice interpretation of the bad guy… No, he's a he and he's a bad guy.

MOMO1: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Heh, Yo Quiero Taco Bell, meet Yo Quiero Hero of Time! Glad you liked it.

Dragon-Charmer16: WHAAAAAAAAAAT! I will not permit you to spend money just to review my story! Don't do that! Just keep re-mailing! It works well like that!

Dragon-Charmer16: Heh, I do my best to make my characters as awesome as possible.

Dragon-Charmer16: I thought the lyrics were incredible as well, but she denies it, saying she could have done much better. -.- Bloody whiner, she is. Oh, hi there! You're reading this? …whoops. (Just kidding, my friend!)

Dragon-Charmer16: Kaze seems to have masculinity issues… Heheh… Kaze, I didn't know you were here! …I didn't say anything! And don't worry about Drakar. Read Chapter 16 about the power of the Staff of Dreams… OH CRAP! I can't believe I just gave away a spoiler! -hits self-

Dragon-Charmer16: Now that Hieke's back to herself, we have room for humor! YAY, HUMOR! Yup, new pictures comin'. _Always_ new pictures comin'.

Dragon-Charmer16: Linky and Kazy… that's still evokes a chuckle at the least!

Dragon-Charmer16: OO; No worries, I promised a happy ending this time, remember? It's only a story… People get so attached to my characters and so involved in my plot! It's scary…

C.A.D.W.O.: (The Legend of Advertisement!) I have some serious stories that still have a certain aspect of humor to them if you wanna read those. Rejoice for the seriousness! While it sounds funny, 'seriousness' is still a word!

Mxedcherub: You always say that… -.-

Mxedcherub: See? 'Awesome' again. You always say that!

Mxedcherub: What, no 'awesome' this time? What's an aslyum? You mean asylum, an institute for crazy people like you and me? …and my brother…

Mxedcherub: Only an idiot would like Wythe…

Mxedcherub: No, the battle scene sucked! I can't write battle scenes for the life of me!

CheeseFromJupiter: That was fast! Mere moments after I reviewed your story, it's like BAM! Nice to see you again! -dances-

Lots of reviews, sixteen total! YESSSS! I love reviews! But here's the next chapter, and it's a long one!

**Chapter 17: Castle**

"Wh-what is this!" Kuro demanded, holding the Staff gingerly, as though in disgust. "I did not waste away my life in purity for _this_!" He raised his prize above his head and made to throw it to the ground, but he stopped himself. Kuro eyed the Staff of Nightmares, lost in his thoughts. A wicked smile spread on his face.

"What are you plotting?" Kaze inquired fiercely. "I can take the power I have, can I not?" Kuro said aloofly. "After all, I worked _so_ hard to get to where I am today."

"Where you are today?" Hieke interrupted. "You're a heartless tyrant who hid behind a curtain of white, banishing your minions to the darkness outside and leaving them to fulfill your evil wishes! But all your plans failed and all your servants died, even the ones that didn't want to serve you in the first place…" She broke off in a shuddering sigh as she remembered Drakar and all he did for her.

"Hmph. Those are some colorful metaphors you're using, little lady," Kuro smirked. "Do you want to know what I am? I'll tell you, whether you care to know or not. I am a demon, raised beneath a sheet of white light. I am what happens when someone such as Kaze or Link bottle up their dark thoughts long enough. I could show you my true form, but you don't deserve to witness it." A black light enveloped the hand which held the Staff of Nightmares. Gradually the glow transferred from the Staff to Kuro. When it seemd he had absorbed the whole of his prize's energy, he tossed it aside.

The colors shifted once again. The Staff of Dreams clattered to the ground, devoid of its magnificence. "Since the Staff is less powerful in its dark state, all the light power is still within it," Kuro shrugged. "But I've taken nearly everything it had. It's just a useless stick now. Unless someone awesomely strong wields it, that is. Which reminds me…" He pointed a hand at Hieke and muttered something, apparently an incantation of some kind. An ink bracelet of alien characters appeared around her wrist. The Spirit winced.

"He's sealed off the Spirit of the Celestials," she murmured, falling to her knees. "I'll adjust to it, but I can't use my Celestial power anymore…" She reached for the Staff of Dreams and clutched it in her hands, sighing deeply.

"If you think you have the courage to face me, why don't you come to my castle?" Kuro sneered. He was beginning to vanish. "I'll put it in this dimension, just for you three." His semblance faded away with a ghastly laughter.

There was a thunderous rumbling somewhere nearby. Link, Kaze, and Hieke ran outside to see a terrible structure rising where the Gerudo fortress was. The fastest way to reach the Valley was on foot, so they all ran as quickly as they were able to their destination. Hieke had a bit of a harder time, being encumbered by the heavy Staff of Dreams. However, she refused to leave it behind. While her Celestial magic might be bound, she reasoned that when she recovered her power, she would require the Staff to bring back the fallen.

Kaze gasped when they reached the Valley, and the Staff of Dreams slipped from Hieke's paralyzed hands. Kuro's castle had been erected in the very center of the fortress, and dead bodies were everywhere. Prominent among the rubble were the faces of Linna, Dikai, Lea, and even Nabooru. Looking into the distance, they could see a black mist settling upon the land. It was death… Everyone who breathed the substance would die. Through the dark fog upon a pair of horses were four recognizable characters: Queen Zelda on one horse with Navi bobbing along behind, and James and Malon on the other steed. To Link's relief, they had their faces covered from the poison.

"Link!" Zelda cried, leaping from her horse and landing on her face in the dust. She stood up and looked around to make sure no one besides her friends had seen, then she brushed her dress off and ran to Link's side. "What are you doing here? You know it's too dangerous!" Link scolded. "You all go back to the castle! Hurry!"

"If you're going into danger, so are we!" Navi protested. "Anything that can hurt us can hurt you too!" James had one of his jewel-studded daggers in hand, and Malon was holding her breath against the terrible evil in the area. Zelda nodded to her three followers and turned back to Link. "So good luck trying to make us go back," she smiled.

"Impertinent fools!" boomed Kuro's voice. "Man-woman speaks," Kaze muttered, invoking a stifled laughter from Link and Hieke. Thunder crashed around them, almost as though Kuro had heard the comment. A bolt of lightning struck Zelda. When the flash cleared was trapped in a black crystal much like the pink one in which Ganon once imprisoned her. The same fate soon befell James, Navi, and Malon.

"What are you doing!" Hieke demanded, feeling more helpless than ever with her Celestial magic sealed away. She touched the dark crystals, but her slight touch was met by a powerful surge of evil magic. The girl withdrew and fell into rank beside Kaze and Link. The thin, dark mist that appeared before a transportation rose around their entrapped friends. It was mere moments before the three were left alone.

"Enter my castle if you wish to free your companions," Kuro taunted as the drawbridge covering the entrance lowered. Link glanced swiftly to Kaze and Hieke, then drew a deep breath and proceeded into the infinite shadow that dwelled behind the doors of the castle.

"It's dark," Kaze commented blandly. "I'd illuminate it if not for this blasted seal," Hieke apologized, rubbing the ink marks on her wrist. Link ignored the two, allowing his instinct to lead him through the darkness. They stepped into a long corridor and torches quickly lit by themselves. Link narrowed his eyes but continued onward nonetheless. There were lives at stake… Zelda, Malon, Navi, James, Kaze, Hieke, and himself were the only people left alive in Hyrule. The Staff of Dreams was drained of power and Hieke's magic was sealed away, so there would be no revivals until Kuro fell.

Soon they came upon a split in the hallway; it branched off into three separate paths and everyone wanted to follow a different direction. "This way is best!" Hieke said, pointing to the left passage. "No, it's definitely this one!" Kaze persisted as he walked towards the right. "You're both wrong. The center hall is where we need to go," Link stated firmly.

Somehow they knew in their minds that all the paths led to the same place. Perhaps Kuro wanted them to split up… Regardless, since they couldn't come to an agreement on which path to take, they decided to go their own ways. This was the single worst decision Link ever made, worse so than when he resolved to just _tell_ Zelda that he didn't like her.

Kaze swiftly proceeded down the corridor to the right, surveying the floor and walls for any traps. A gray fog soon filled the hall, but it wasn't obstructive in the least. After a short while, it became evident that the mist was once of Kuro's mind tricks. Images filled his head, the worst possible things he could ever imagine appeared before him. He gasped when he stumbled upon Linna's body, mangled and mutilated.

"It's a vision, nothing more," he muttered to himself as he stepped over the body and continued along at a much faster pace than before. Next he came upon Link, standing in front of him with lumps of flesh missing from his arms and face, tears of blood trailing down his face. Kaze drew a shuddering breath, reached out, and pushed the hallucination away. He was now sprinting down the hall, his eyes tightly shut. Then he bumped into something…

Meanwhile, Hieke was taking small, tentative steps down the corridor she chose, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. She put one hand against the wall so she would stay on course. Hieke had seen the haze descended and, having spent a while in Kuro's company, knew exactly what it was and immediately took precautions against it. What you could not see would never appear to you.

She thought she felt a wall in front of her, for she could proceed no more. She opened her eyes and fell backwards with a shriek of terror. Instantly Hieke picked up the Staff of Dreams and began fiercely pummeling the image before her.

"_Mouse_!" she screamed, beating the living daylights out of the vision of a rodent in front of her. In her defense, it was a very large mouse. When the creature was dazed, bruised, and beaten, Hieke stood and began savagely kicking it. "And don't come back!" she called over her shoulder as she advanced past her conquered fear and moved further down the hall.

Kaze, on his chosen path, backed slowly away. An image of Hieke stood before him, a gentle smile upon her lips, but she held her sword as if to attack at any moment. The thief tried to steady himself and drew his own blade. The vision giggled and began her assault. Kaze knew this could not be Hieke merely by the way it attacked. It was thrusting with the sword like it was a spear while the real Hieke slashed and spun with her weapon.

"You're no Hieke. Not even close," Kaze smirked as he skewered the illusion on his sword. The false Hieke choked and coughed blood, then fell to its knees. It looked up with tear-filled eyes and reached towards him with a bloodstained hand. Kaze felt his strength draining along with the color from his face. Maybe it wasn't Hieke, but it did a believable impression of her.

"Ka…ze…" the image sobbed, then collapsed to the ground. Kaze shut his eyes tightly and tried to run, but his feet wouldn't allow it. "It wasn't real!" he whispered. "Not real… Not…!" Tears came unchecked, but he made no move to stop himself. Kuro's magic was great, but he would _not_ fall victim to his demons. With this in mind, Kaze was able to force himself to continue, but he moved at a staggering gait instead of running as he would have liked.

Link, moving steadily along the center corridor, had already fought off dozens of painful illusions, one of which was a wedding to Princess Ruto. His hands were clenched tightly into fists and trembled slightly. He would not surrender to his demons, and he could only hope his companions were faring as well.

"We shouldn't have split up," he sighed, relaxing himself. There was no reason to be so high-strung. After all, they were just illusions. None of it was real. And none of it could hurt him. As long as he told himself this every time a new vision rose from the fog, he would fine.

In her hallway, Hieke was running headlong through the mist, ignoring anything she saw, heard, or even touched. Until she crashed into the stone wall. This time she was sure it was a real wall and not just a manifested illusion. She ran her hand along the wall, not daring to look up, until her hands found a doorknob. She twisted the cold metal and went through. Hieke found herself in a circular chamber. There were two other doors and she knew that this was the room in which the passages met. But why did they bother splitting in the first place?

The next door to the right, the center door, opened and Link came through. His eyes were dark and his expression grim, but he seemed to have fared all right. Finally Kaze, having slowed his pace to a crawl, arrived. His spirits seemed to lighten when his eyes met Hieke's.

"Where to now?" Kaze asked, turning to Link. The green-clad warrior pointed in front of him to a large, heavy door, framed in gold. "Through that door… is where we'll find Kuro. Then we can end this once and for all."

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The Demons have been faced! Next chapter is a good one, so don't miss it! Yipes! Tomorrow is high school orientation… school starts September 6 (not ninth, as I previously thought). GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! This story should be finished by the time school starts. Actually, it should be finished three days before that! YAY! Okay, review now? Yes? Okay, thanks! n.n


	18. Confrontation

Okay, today's orientation… Whoo hoo. Let's reply to our reviews, shall we?

Dragon-Charmer16: Yup, forced to kill your best friend and witness the death of your own mother… Harsh, eh? Hieke's certainly a character, so I of course needed to make her 'demons' at least relatively funny. I'll update the pictures as soon as I can… And hey, that sig isn't bad at all! Big. But who am I to talk? My signature is pretty large as well!

Numdenu: (The Legend of Advertisement!) XD I'll have to put that in there!

JMG: There will probably be around twenty or twenty-one chapters total.

Blondie91: For every chapter you read, I post two more. You'll never catch up! MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Well… Actually, you probably will. Well, if you're reading this now, you probably have! Man… So much for colorful intimidation…

Blondie91: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! SCHOOL! -cowers-

Harrypotterfan: (The Legend of Advertisement!) Yes, Geico… I'm having fun with that fanfiction!

CheeseFromJupiter: Needed some humor, so I flogged a mouse! XP Morbid humor is the best kind, eh? Remember Lawrence? Mweeheehee…

Mxedcherub: Oh, Kuro will only get stranger this chapter… OH! I had just had the best idea! I'm going to continue writing humor chapters for this even after the story itself has ended, like one-shots. One will be Kuro's psychiatric therapy! YES! And we all hate school, my friend. Hate it with a passion… When'd _you_ get online? O.o

Okay, if you thought _last_ chapter was long… you were right. But this one is long too! LET'S GO!

**Chapter 18: Confrontation**

They stood before the heavy oak doors, just preparing themselves mentally at the time being. This battle could not be lost, under any conditions. Hieke looked at her companions somewhat remorsefully. She touched Link's arm and there was a momentary flash. Link stared at Hieke, his eyes asking what happened. He hadn't noticed how the ink seal faded from Hieke's wrist. "You might need this," the Spirit smiled as she handed her friend the Staff of Dreams.

"Whoa, whoa, hey!" Kaze objected. "_I_ want to hold the Staff!" Hieke giggled and ran ahead a few steps. "No time for that!" she called. "Hurry up! We have to save Zelda and Malon and James!"

"And Navi!" Link added as he raced to catch up with his friend. "Get real, Link," Kaze sighed. "No one likes Navi! Well, there are a few. But more think she's a pest. I know you hate her! You don't have to lie!" he laughed, following his friends.

In moments they stood before the large, jewel-encrusted door that was the entrance to Kuro's lair. "Here we go," Link breathed, the Staff of Dreams clasped firmly in his hands. They pushed the heavy doors open and entered the candle-lit room.

"Hello there," said a calm voice. Kuro jumped down from a podium and stood before them, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. His kind eyes were now cold and harsh. _The moment when he held the Staff, all sorts of evil thoughts filled his head_, Link thought. _His soul is no longer pure. Now he's truly our enemy_.

"Well, well, well… No hellos? I've been waiting for you to arrive," the villain said, tapping his foot impatiently against the stone floor. The echoes reverberated throughout the room. Hieke clenched her hands into fists, and Kaze drew his sword. "You will never win," Link scowled, advancing a short distance away from his friends. Kuro scoffed and took a few steps back. He raised his hand with a malicious grin and there was a bright burst of light. Link turned around and gasped.

His friends… both of them were encased in black crystal. Malon, Zelda, James, and Navi appeared beside them in dark mist. Everyone had an expression of dismay on their motionless faces. They were imprisoned, unable to as much as twitch a finger.

Kuro vanished and reappeared behind James. "James… the fighter. The sidekick. The naïve innocent… Oh well," he chuckled. He brought his fist down and shattered James into shards of crystal. Link cried out and lunged. "Don't touch them!" he warned, taking his sword in hand. Kuro deflected the attack and bound Link with powerful magic.

"Sit there quietly and watch as I destroy everything that you hold dear," he grinned as he moved on to Navi. "Navi, the resourceful fairy. Giver of information. Strategist. Pity." Kuro's fist smashed through the crystal and Navi was dead.

"Malon, a faithful friend. The believer. The dreamer. What a shame." Debris of Malon littered the ground.

"Zelda… the watchful ruler. She valued you highly, Link. Now she'll never have her chance." In an instant, Queen Zelda was no more.

"Kaze, the Gerudo warrior. Loyal to the end. Who would've thought the end would be so soon?" The life of a brave swordsman was silenced.

Link wanted to close his eyes, to look away, but so strong was his bondage that he couldn't even shed tears for his friends. Every muscle of his body ached. Every fiber of his being cried. And when Kuro stood beside Hieke, circling her, his heart screamed in a way his voice never could.

"And it comes down to little Hieke," Kuro grinned. Link fought against the magic holding him until he thought he would pass out. However, Kuro's magic was so strong that even his mind was held alert.

"She really cared about you, Link. Might even go as far as to say she loved you. But none of that matters now, does it? After all, what is love when the lover is deceased?" The fist crashed through the crystal containing Hieke and the beautiful girl literally fell to pieces. Link made no move or sound, for his binds were still in place. His body almost seemed to tremble with the guilt, sadness, and anger trapped within him.

Now Kuro appeared behind Link. "You see? I don't care how many hordes of monsters you've fought off. I don't care how many villains you've trumped. Your power is as nothing before mine. You are weak," he sneered, then he disappeared into the shadows.

Link struggled with all his might against the magic until finally it faltered. In blind rage he raced to the crystal fragments strewn across the floor. "James, Navi, Malon, Zelda, Kaze… Hieke," he sobbed. They were all dead. The blood-stained shards were all that was left of his friends. Thanks to Kuro and his crew, Link was the last person alive in all of Hyrule. There were no others…

The young hero leaped up from the floor and whipped out the Staff of Dreams. It was time to end this. Once and for all.

"You broke my magic bonds? Pathetic," Kuro's voice taunted from ahead. Link held the Staff of Dreams firmly in front of him and stiffly advanced down the long path from which his enemy's voice had sounded. "Oh, you challenge me with that stick? I've already absorbed all the power from it," the villain explained. Finally Link's vision broke through the veil of shadows and his gaze fell upon Kuro. Enraged by the site of this foul man, he broke into a full run as Kuro drifted ever out of reach.

Images of his friends flashed through his mind, memories… When Saria was revealed as the Forest Sage, when Ruto gave him the Spiritual Stone of Water, when Darunia handed him the Goron Bracelet, when Sheik taught him countless melodies, when Zelda sent him back to his own time, when James surprised him from behind the tree, when Hieke finally returned, when she was back to herself… The sweet memories flowed through him like a potion, amplifying his anger. Link charged ever forward.

"Link! I've told you once before, you are nothing! Now die!" Kuro laughed as a miasma of black poison descended on Link. Monsters emerged from the fog, growling. Link covered his face and swatted the beasts away before they got in range to attack. The ground trembled and shifted like an earthquake and the corridor began to collapse. But there was a light ahead. Kuro, seated upon an ebony throne and resting his head casually upon his hand, appeared from that light.

Hieke's presence echoed throughout Link's body. He remembered the flash of light when she touched him and knew what had been done. He stopped in front of Kuro, thrust the Staff of Dreams above his head, and concentrated on the power within him. Silvery-green wings appeared on his back and his eyes glowed with silver light.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Kuro demanded as he jumped up from his throne. "You are not allowed to use the power of that girl! I will not allow this! I will not allow it!" Link gathered all his strength into the staff and swiped at Kuro in one attack. A glowing wound was slashed into the man's torso. He cried out in pain and stumbled backwards into the darkness. Link knew he had won. But at what price…?

"Y-you have not yet defeated me," said a deep, ghastly voice from the darkness. Link gasped and moved into a fighting position. The ground quaked with the footfalls of the approaching monstrosity. It was twelve times as large as Ganon's final form and much more hideous. The head looked like a gargoyle of some kind and had three bulging eyes. The body was a mass of billowing flesh, sickly gray, with bits and pieces of other monsters sewn into the mix. What looked like the bone frame of wings emerged from his back, only making him all the more grotesque. Two massive arms, spiked along the side, grasped a pair of serrated blades that were twice the length of Ganon's. This… was not going to be an easy battle.

Link held his ground, his hands gripped firmly around the Staff of Dreams. Kuro swung his blades wildly and roared. Link dodged as best he could, a feat made easier by his wings. He attacked with his Staff, but it was repelled by the rubbery flesh of his foe. An octorok, morbidly connected near the base, spat a series of stones at Link. The Staff of Dreams was knocked from his hand.

"Useless," Kuro chuckled. He roared again and slashed at Link. The boy was hurled backwards by the force of the blow and collided with the walls. He stood weakly, blood pooling beneath him. He picked up the Staff and looked up at his enemy, his knees ready to give in.

"_Link_!"

He looked around, startled. It had sounded like Hieke's voice… He clenched his teeth when he remembered the reality of the situation: Hieke was dead. This time, she was not coming back. The Staff glowed brightly in Link's hands and he stared at it in astonishment. A magnificent power welled within him, growing unbearably strong. With a shout he released everything, and then the room went black. The battle at hand faded away, leaving nothing but stark emptiness.

_"Link… I'm proud of you."_

_The young hero looked up and saw the face of his mother. She was smiling at him, then her image was replaced by Zelda's._

_"Link, you are strong. Fight on."_

_The image shifted countless times, each time revealing a different person he had at one time or another been in contact with. They each gave him words of encouragement or advice. Finally he stood before Hieke._

_"You wield the Staff well for a newbie," she grinned. Link made no move. Everything he was seeing was false, and he knew it. "Aw, come on!" Hieke pouted. "Listen to me! You think you're seeing things, but… Well, actually, you are seeing things. But that's beside the point! The things you are seeing are true. Now listen."_

_Link reached a hand forward and took his friends. He ran his fingers over the contours of her hand, then met her gaze. "Where are you?" he asked desperately. Hieke smiled warmly and leaned forward, giving Link a quick kiss. She drew back, her face slightly flushed, but the gentle smile still in place._

_"Listen well, Link. I've given you my power," she explained. "Right now you _are_ the Spirit of the Celestials. With the strength I've given you and the Staff of Dreams, you have the power to bring us back. Since you're not experienced, you'll only be able to bring back two of us. Do me a favor and don't try any more than two. You could die."_

This visions were dissolved by a piercing light. Link realized he was being attacked by a Beamos and leaped out of the way. He turned on his heel and faced Kuro, the Staff still in hand. He closed his eyes and focused on the words Hieke said. He tightened his grip on his weapon and opened his silvery-blue eyes. There was a sustained flash of light, a crash of thunder. Kuro looked around furiously as he growled. Surely it was some trick. Surely such power wasn't radiating from this meek little boy!

But it was. Two piles of crystal shards began to glow brightly, more brightly than the haze of light surrounding them. Two translucent figures appeared above the debris, then they solidified. Kaze and Hieke nearly choked on their first living breaths of air. They looked around in surprise, then remembered what was happening and ran forward quickly. They soon joined Link.

The hero laughed to see his friends again, tears stinging at his eyes. He tossed the Staff of Dreams to Hieke. When she caught it, his silver-green wings faded and her golden ones formed. She reclaimed her rightful place as Guardian Spirit of the Celestials. She turned to Kuro with a harsh glare.

"It seems you've underestimated us!" she laughed, holding the Staff in an offensive position. Kaze twirled his sword on his fingers and pointed it at the monster. "You're going down," he smirked. Link drew his golden-bladed sword and readied his shield.

"Kuro, you've brought us enough strife as it is. You've taken our friends and family. You've destroyed our hearts and uprooted out confidence. Now it's your turn. Prepare to die!" The three launched their assault with a strength and courage previously unimaginable. There was no way they were going to lose this!

**Today I decided to write the ending note in bold print because I'm tired of making my crappy division bars! And I just recently noticed that my scene dividers don't work! I had no idea! Turns out _all_ of my scene dividers are missing! So, at any point where you encountered a strange transition with no dividers, they were there at one point, but not anymore. Next chapter: The final battle! And after that is where the humor starts! Okay, review now? Please? Tankoo!**


	19. End

Reply time! We're almost to the end… oh no! Oh no! Almost to the end, oh nooooooooo!

Dragon-Charmer16: Oh, this one is even better! It gets better and better and better! And you know I can't kill your original character without your permission! …well, not permantently, anyway.

Blondie91: n.n I'm so happy! You caught up! Join the party! We've got free cookies! -hands out cookies- Yay, cookies! -dances- Recommendation is such a very good thing! n.n I'm still happy! And tell your sister… better late than never! I don't mind waiting as long as the reviews come eventually!

Mxedcherub: Yup, Tsuki-chan's the one. And I'm not sure if I'm really going to follow through on the one-shots idea… I might, but I might just write a new story. I'm not sure which to do…

CheeseFromJupiter: O.o They came back… You miss _hurting_ him? And you call _me_ a murderer? XD Well, I miss reading about him getting hurt! Seqeul soon? Happies if there be!

JMG: . Aren't you talkative?

And that does it for replies! Last night was high school orientation. I left the house and lived to tell the tale! But that's another story entirely. You're here to read my finale, not listen to my drab tales about the school which reminds me of a dungeon in Ocarina of Time… So here's the chapter. Enjoy.

**Chapter 19: End**

Kuro shielded himself from the oncoming assault with a Lizalfos. The scapegoat perished instantly under such force. Hieke darted about his massive head like an insect, nimble and quick. Kaze made his way fighting through the dozens of monsters affixed to Kuro's hulking body. Link used spin attacks and powerful slices on the torso, hoping to find some vital point.

Hieke was swatted aside with a brief cry of shock and pain. "This isn't working!" she shouted desperately. Link halted his relentless attack, breathing heavily. "You're right," he admitted. "We have to try something else!"

"Aw, crap!" Kaze exclaimed. Whenever he slew a monster, two more would take its place. Kuro bellowed and raised his arms above his head. Lightning crashed around them, thunder booming above. Rain of fire fell from the shadows that were the ceiling. Hieke's wings ignited and she gasped in shock and pain. Kaze, using his elemental power of water, extinguished the small flame and shielded them all from the falling embers.

Kuro sliced through the protective barrier with ease. While his sword merely collided with the ground, it sent out a shock wave that easily toppled his foes. Link quickly clambered to his feet and blocked Kuro's attack as he was bringing his blade down upon Hieke. The Spirit scampered out of the way and concentrated her power. A veil of stars appeared around Kuro.

"By the moon and stars, hold this demon fast!" she called and her spell was sealed. But the monstrosity of a man broke his binds in seconds and roared. Lightning began to flash once more, but this time the thunderbolts were clearly intended to be the attack instead of preceding the actual assault.

Kaze dodged the bolts as they struck the ground around him. Link, using Din's Fire, easily repelled the lightning. Hieke was flitting about, trying to confuse Kuro, and didn't notice the thunderbolts at all. When the pulses of electricity stopped, Link pocketed his magic orb and unsheathed his sword. Nothing they tried was working…

"Link!" Hieke called. The young hero was amazed that his friend could keep her concentration on the battle and talk to him at the same time. "What is it?" he asked as he leapt backwards to avoid a slash from Kuro's serrated sword. Hieke grinned. "I'm gonna seal him," she muttered.

This caught Kaze's attention, who had been avidly flaying the miscellaneous monsters attached to Kuro. "What did you say!" he blurted as he nearly dropped his sword in fearful awe. "Try it and I'll kill you!" Link shouted. Hieke giggled, but made no word of reason or protest. Perhaps the comment was intended as a joke…

But all doubt vanished as she lowered herself to the ground and clasped her hands over the Moon Pendant bound about her neck, murmuring some kind of incantation.

"Bythemoonandstarssealthisdemonbythemoonandstarssealthisdemon…"

Hieke repeated the statement quickly without pausing for breath. A soft glow enveloped her. "Don't you dare!" Link cried. He threw his sword aside and ran over to Hieke, Kaze joining him shortly. Link clasped his hands firmly on her shoulders and shook her. "Don't!" he sobbed. "You can't!"

Hieke opened her eyes. "You're right. I can't," she breathed. Kuro chuckled. "As long as the power of the Staff of Nightmares is with me, no one will be able to seal me anywhere," he explained, a smirk on his already contorted face.

"We have to weaken him!" the Spirit said as she took the Moon Pendant in one hand and the Staff of Dreams in the other. She muttered the changing spell and the Staff fused with her pendant, creating a beautiful, heavenly weapon. The blade was long and white with diamonds along its length. The hilt was wrapped in a silken cloth that glittered like silver. The hilt itself was ivory with silver patterns. The sword glowed white light in the hands of the Celestial Spirit.

"This ought to do a little damage, don'cha think?" she smiled as she spun the sword across her fingers and moved into an offensive stance. Link frowned. His weapon was nearly as cool… But he shook his head to clear the thought away and prepared himself for his next attack. Kaze admired his friend's new sword a few moments, then set his gaze firmly upon Kuro.

"You think that pathetic little steel toothpick will be able to harm me?" Kuro chortled. "Well, considering just how pathetic _you_ are, I think it should do just fine!" Hieke smiled. And thus the battle resumed. Kuro set a ring of fire around Link, but Kaze doused it with ease. Angered, he struck thunder upon Kaze, but Hieke shielded him. Kuro created a dark orb around the girl, impenetrable from the inside, but Link freed her with a single slash of the sword.

Seeing his tactics were failing, Kuro tried a new method. The deceptive fog of illusion settled in the room. Link gritted his teeth and tried to think of something to keep the mist out of their minds. Then he remembered what Hieke said… While he didn't want her to sacrifice herself to seal yet another evil, they couldn't harm him as long as he had the power he was in possession of and sealing him was the only way to get rid of him. They had to weaken him… If his evil fog could weaken those around him, who ever said it couldn't also go the other way around.

"Hieke!" Link called. "I'm way ahead of ya, Link!" the Spirit replied. She darted around Kuro's head, redirecting the haze into his eyes with the gusts she produced with her wings. The monster growled in irritation and shut two of his eyes, yet the third had no eyelid and remained open and susceptible to the fog. He raised his arms and the mist vanished, but he had already been exposed and was clearly already witnessing the effects of his own evil.

"A heart as corrupted as his is bound to have all sorts of bitter thoughts locked inside," Kaze muttered. Kuro clutched at his head, writhing and screaming. He shook his malformed head wildly in an attempt to escape his visions. "Now!" Hieke shouted. She threw her sword like a spear and it impaled Kuro's third eye. Upon impact the blade began to shimmer more brightly than ever.

"By the moon and stars," Hieke whispered, "take my soul… and seal this demon…"

Link buried his face in his hands and bit his lip. If there was one thing he didn't want, this was it. He looked up and saw Kaze was in a similar condition, head bowed and eyes closed. The young hero turned to Hieke and took a few steps towards her, then stopped and waited. But instead of disappearing is a flurry of starry light, her wings dissolved and a massive phoenix of white light escaped her body. The incredible light illuminated the area and revealed it to be merely a stone chamber shrouded in shadows. The blazing bird hovered before Kuro; it was nearly as large as him. Soon Kuro's form began to glow.

The demon was pulled into the phoenix and the bird screeched, then crashed through the ceiling and flew off into the horizon. Link and Kaze ducked from the falling rocks until they noticed that Hieke was unconscious. Dodging the boulders raining upon their heads, they hurried to her side and shielded her as best they could.

When the dust settled, a mound of rocks in the center of the room shifted and eventually a hand broke free. Link crawled out from under the pile, dragging Hieke along with him. Kaze followed. "Did you hear what she said?" the thief asked, his breath coming in shudders. Link nodded. "'Take my soul'," he repeated. It was no wonder Hieke was out cold; she no longer had a soul. In moments she would be dead… again.

Link sighed and blinked his eyes to clear the tears in them. When he looked down and saw Hieke's amber eyes open and a smile on her face, he gasped.

"Don't you dare drop me," she warned weakly. With some help from Kaze she managed to sit up. She pulled her hair out of the way and gestured to her ears. Link's eyes widened in awe. They were Hylian ears… But why?

"Look at me, I'm a little elf girl," Hieke chuckled. "Now I'm just a Hylian… The Spirit of Celestials is that phoenix you saw, and it took all of Kuro's evil to the Guardian Tree where it will become a part of the seal. If you look over there," she nodded to the place where Kuro once stood, "you'll find what's left of that man."

She stood and staggered towards the other side of the room, but tripped. Link helped her up, concern in his cerulean eyes. "I'm just coping," Hieke reassured. "I lost a great deal of my power, and I need a little time to adjust." With Link's aid they walked to a circle of fallen stones, in the center of which lied a small child with black hair. He was unconscious. Kaze frowned and picked up the boy. "Is this Kuro?" he asked.

Hieke nodded. "That's the purity of his soul. That form of Kuro knows naught of evil or darkness. If he has a good home, he'll certainly grow up to be a compassionate young man. He won't remember anything that he's seen or done when he wakes. It's probably not a very good idea to keep him in Hyrule, though…" Clumsily her fingers tightened around the Staff of Dreams. It glowed more brightly than ever, for the power Kuro had taken had been restored to it.

"Oh, Staff of Dreams… By your power, send this being to another place, a place where he can live and grow without ever being exposed to this world again," Hieke said. The Staff glowed and Kuro's sleeping body disappeared from Kaze's arms. "Where did you send him?" he inquired. "Far away, to a place we'll never see," Hieke explained.

Link ran his fingers along the silver patterns on the Staff. "Now you'll bring them all back?" he said. The Hylian girl shook her head and placed the powerful object in Link's hands. "This is your place," she smiled, then leaned against the wall with a weary sigh.

Link stared at the Staff for a moment, holding it loosely, then tightened his grip and heaved a sigh. "Staff of Dreams, by your power, bring back the lost souls who have unjustly lost their lives at the hands of Kuro and all his evil!" he said firmly. A blinding light radiated from the Staff and the sky shined with stars. All over Hyrule lights flashed. When finally the glow subsided, the inhabitants of Hyrule looked around themselves in shock, unable to believe they were really alive again.

It had been a long fight, but they had finally won.

As Link, Kaze, and Hieke turned to leave, Zelda and the others ran into the room, waving and calling their names. "You did it!" the revived queen beamed. "You defeated Kuro!"

**Ending note in bold! Yay! I remembered! Okay, so here's how orientation went:**

**The slackers couldn't make a live speech, so they broadcasted a video to every television screen thing in the school. I was bored out of my wits, so I started daydreaming that I pulled out a gun and shot the TV, then Link came in and did a spin attack, killing everyone in the room. After that we went to find my classes so I'd have an idea of how to get around. My first class is Honors Earth Science, taught by some blonde lady. The class is upstairs. After that I go downstairs to art class with some middle-aged woman who was playing either Bach or Mozart. I think I'll like that class, and I'm _not_ being sarcastic. We skipped gym, because everyone can easily find the gym room, and we went out to the 'learning cottages' (what they decided to call sleezy, beat-up portables) and found that my English teacher wasn't in. Which sucked, because I wanted to go inside the 'cottage' and yell at them for not having muffins. And then we went home. W00t. I'm still miffed that I don't have creative writing class until next semester…**

**So, what do you guys think? Do I write another chapter, or end it at this? I'm thinking write another chapter before I start on the bonus material. Plus, I'm planning a new story inspired by back-to-school. It'll be… most interesting. Sometime soon I'll update "The Legend of Advertisement!", but until then, why don't you review this chapter? Reviews make me _most_ pleased!**


	20. The End of a Tale

**Okay, I know you all were looking forward to the epilogue, but I decided not to write one. -hides from people about to mob me for not writing the epilogue- It's even better than an epilogue! Just one more time… Once more am I going to continue. That's right, it's a trilogy! When I finish the last chronicle, I'm thinking of putting all the chapters of every story together in one story. What do you think? That way you can read the whole thing without having to go back and find the original or something. And Dragon-Charmer16, I know you're reading this! If you'll send me the entirety of "Trust Me", I'll get that in there too!**

**But don't worry everyone, the big long collaborative story will come after the final installment of the trilogy is finished! Actually, I suppose you could call it a quartet, because it includes "Trust Me". So, I need ideas for what to call the whole thing! "Chronicles of Hyrule" is just cheap and… frankly, it doesn't sound too original. Like, it's obviously a rip-off of "Chronicles of Narnia". So, ideas for that are welcome. But I'm sure what you _really_ want to know about is the final installment!**

**So, Kuro was purified and banished to another dimension, right? Even though Hieke asked the Staff of Dreams to never let him know of Hyrule, Kuro (known in the new dimension as Lor) finds his way back to Hyrule upon finding a book that… Well, I don't want to spoil too much!**

**The last installment (I keep calling it that because as of today it has no title) takes place five years after "Face Your Demons". That's six and a half years after the end of Ocarina of Time. Lor is a high school loner in our world who is constantly harassed by bullies and the 'popular' crowd. Even though school sucks and his home life is horrible (his mother is never around and his father is a raging drunk) he manages to maintain a sunny disposition. One day he hears something calling to him, a voice from far away. And that's where the story really begins.**

**So join us next time in the final installement of the Yet-To-Be-Named tales! Oh, you can review this chapter if you want, but it won't be responded to until the first chapter of the next story. That puts us on Saturday, the tenth of September. I hope to see you all then!**

**One more thing. I am no longer taking art requests for my website. At least not requests that pertain to this story in particular. If you want to make requests for the poor, neglected "For the Sake of the World", be my guest! But enough for this story, okay? It has a large enough section as it is!**

**Another thing. I recently updated my website. Four new pictures in "Face Your Demons". If I have a say in the matter, there will be only one more picture for that section, and that is a drawing of the Staff of Dreams. School starts Tuesday, I'll see you on Saturday. Don't forget to leave behind a review!**

**Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes "Face Your Demons". I thank you all for your support and, of course, your reviews! And I hope to see you next week. Have a nice existance, everyone!**


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